Takao Tanabe was born in Prince Rupert, BC, on September 16, 1926. He is a painter, designer, typographer, private printer, calligrapher, and teacher. Tanabe attended the Winnipeg School of Art from 1946 to 1949. He taught design and typography at the Vancouver School of Art from 1962 to 1968, and also taught at the Banff Centre for the Arts. Tanabe was awarded two honorary doctorates: from the University of Lethbridge in 1995, and the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design in 2000. In addition, Tanabe was awarded the Order of British Columbia in 1993, the Order of Canada in 1999, and the Governor General`s Award in the Visual and Media Arts in 2003. While Tanabe is better known for his painting, he was also heavily involved in private printing in Vancouver during the 1950s and 1960s. Tanabe designed and supervised the physical production of volumes for Klanak Press, founded in 1957 by William and Alice McConnell. Tanabe also worked with Robert Reid on many joint printing projects during the 1950s and 1960s. He created his own press, Periwinkle Press, in the early 1960s. Tanabe currently lives in Parksville, British Columbia.