photo - r. whittaker


Actually, we’re not going to talk about appellate law. John Steinberg is an appellate lawyer who has argued cases before the California Supreme Court. It’s how he makes a living. His work is something he deeply believes in. It’s one of the first things I learned about John, who I met only a few months ago.
     Our meeting was another example of a transition I’ve been going through, which put simply, is pushing past my reserve and making gestures of connection with strangers: “Hi there.” Or, “Are you a local here?” Or “Wow. That’s a great dog you’ve got.” I’ve found there’s no end of improvisations on this simple theme once you start getting used to taking this little risk.
     It’s how I met John at Peet’s Coffee on Solano Ave. in Berkeley one morning. It turned out that this stranger was quite an open, friendly person and one thing led to another. I probably gave him a copy of works & conversations. And it turned out he had something to show me, too. Soon I was looking through a photo calendar he prints each year to give to his friends. It featured twelve of his ceramic sculptures.
     I was shocked, actually. It’s like running into someone who mentions in passing that he plays a little piano. Then, a circumstance arises later where a piano is nearby and, “Hey would you play something?” The moment I looked at the first photo, I saw that Steinberg has a Steinway-worthy skill with the clay, especially for inspired and affectionate caricature.
     I’ve had enough experience with clay myself to appreciate his gift. So I lost no time trying to find out more about his work, and a couple of weeks later, I was sitting in his living room looking at one delightful piece of his clay sculpture after another.
     And I have to mention something else that, at least for me, lent this connection an uncanny aspect. If you’re already familiar with w&c, the name John Toki might be familiar to you. I think it’s fair to say that most clay artists around Northern California (and many beyond this area) regard John Toki, besides being a remarkable artist, as a leading expert in all matters where art and clay come together in any form. I’ve known John now for many years. And although in 1970, I was struggling with clay and glazes as a budding potter myself—and even bought materials from Leslie Ceramic Supply in Berkeley (founded by Toki’s parents, and which he was running)—I didn’t really connect with Toki until I’d started the art magazine works & conversations over twenty years later.
     It happened one day when I brought a copy of issue #4 into his store. It features my interview with Viola Frey and a cover photo of one of her large clay figures. He was there and it marked the beginning of a friendship that continues to this day.
     I recount all this as context for the uncanny part of my connecting with Steinberg. A couple of weeks after we met, for some unrelated reason, I was randomly looking through old emails between John Toki and myself. This is what I found, dated Dec. 2012 - "Richard, do you remember John Steinberg? He’s the lawyer who sculpts trucks, cars, and vehicles he sees on the street. He makes the vehicle in clay and often knocks on the door of the owner and gives them the ceramic piece.
     He wanted to sell his clay vehicles for charity, with the money going to support children in some way. After many attempts to connect him with hospitals, administrators, and various people etc. who might show his ceramic vehicles, sell them, and collect the money to support children, I simply struck out time after time, facing what felt like huge bureaucratic hurdles....”
     In short, Toki wondered if I could do something to help. But nothing came of it. I never met Steinberg in person, and had completely forgotten about the whole thing. So I was gobsmacked reading the note. “Richard, do you remember John Steinberg?” Was something else at work here? It’s hard not to feel that way at such a moment. And it doesn’t end there.
     A neighbor lives up the street, Ann Petru. Ann is a doctor who heads up the pediatric department at Children’s Hospital in Oakland. Every year she would send an appeal out to the neighborhood trying to raise funds for the hospital. I was reading her note a few years ago and she noted they were losing staff from a lack of funds. That’s when the idea came to me to interview her, thinking she probably had a compelling story, and I was right. I thought I could help more people learn about her and her remarkable work. (11.5k views so far) Maybe it would help with donations. (Nowadays, I just refer to Ann as a Saint.)

The Accidental Artist   
About being a lawyer, John Steinberg told me, “I love my work.” He added, “and I enjoy making art. I just do it for fun.” It didn’t take long for me to believe him. And it was clear he has a lot of fun because he makes a lot of art. There are lots of trucks and cars, yes. Each an utterly charming caricature. This is his gift. These pieces will serve as all the evidence needed.
     That I was taking his work seriously gave him a little boost. And he’s been making more. Pointing to one piece, let’s say the Sumo Bears above, I said, “John, if you had this work in a decent gallery, it could see it selling for $5000 easily.”
     “Oh, I’m not interested in that!” he said. I mean, he just waved it off. “I make a good living doing the work I do. I like giving this work away.” He paused. “I mean, there are pieces I really like and that I don’t want to give away.” He stopped. This was something he was questioning. Where was the line between giving and not wanting to give? What was that about?
     But one thing was absolutely clear. I was talking with an artist who had no ambitions for getting more recognition. “The one thing I’d like to do with my art is if it could be used to raise money for something like, say a hospital. Some good cause.”
    I see him as a bit of a clay savant. “I pick up the clay and my hands just know what to do.” He attributes his gift to his father who was a doctor, and also a talented artist. Looking at each piece and the sure hand, his gift is palpable. He would love to contribute his abilities with clay to raise money for a good charitable cause.   
     Will anyone take advantage of this artist's gift and his wish to help? Dr. Petru is working on it, but as of this moment, no one has had the imagination and the circumstances to put something together. Maybe it's you. Or someone you know.