Berkeley Campus Scenes by Pedro J. Lemos
The Eucalyptus Grove is a woodblock print by PEDRO JOSEPH LEMOS (1882-1954). Directly across from the Starbucks at Center and Oxford, you enter the Eucalyptus Grove. In 1882, this grove of Tasmanian blue gums (Eucalyptus globulus) was planted as a windbreak for the old cinder running track. It is the tallest stand of hardwood trees in North America and the tallest stand of this type of eucalyptus in the world. Relative newcomers to California, where they have few natural herbivores, such as the koala bear, eucalyptus look much healthier than in their native Australia.
Lemos was among the most influential of the Bay Area's artists and educators of the “Arts and Crafts” era, who was not only an important artist and educator of the applied arts and design in numerous media, but also as an architectural designer, writer, publisher, painter, and printmaker.
This print and its companions in the “Berkeley” series were produced for the “Blue and Gold” Yearbook of the University of California’s Class of 1917. They have been digitally scanned on high-quality graphic paper and fused on a wooden block with recessed bracing for immediate wall-mounting. A clear coat of UV film has been applied to protect and enhance color stability.