Happy Thanksgiving! This week I’m especially grateful for the gift of right livelihood—creative work that nourishes me and my community. Deepest thanks to you, my customers and fans, who make that possible. In gratitude, I’m offering 15% off everything in my Makino Studios shop thru Sunday with code THANKS22 (details below).
Here’s a glimpse at how I created a recent piece. A few years ago, I tore my left rotator cuff, which was followed by a painful case of “frozen shoulder.” After a physical therapy appointment, I took a walk along the Mad River bluffs overlooking the ocean, admiring the windswept trees. That inspired the following poem:
to love this body
just as it is
twisted shore pines
I decided to create a collage with the haiku, and started with a rough sketch. Next I searched through my collection of painted and embellished papers. Earlier I had tried painting a sunset sky for another piece, which didn’t work at all. But that rejected sheet turned out to be perfect for this piece. I also used washi paper, an old letter and some pages from a copy of Moby-Dick.
After much trial and error, I chose the papers I wanted, then tore them into pieces and laid them out, tweaking my composition until it felt right.
I tore and glued on the main pieces, including the black branches of the shore pine. But how to create all those needles? I knew it would drive me insane to collage each one. Eventually I realized I was trying to obey an imaginary rule that using pen and ink in a collage would be “cheating.” Once I let go of that unconscious restriction, I drew in the needles with a fine point pen.
Voilà! The finished haiga (art with haiku), is 11x14, made with acrylic paint, archival ink, paper and glue on cradled birch panel. (The words were added digitally using my custom brush-painted font and do not appear on the original.) © Annette Makino 2022
From uncomfortable beginnings, this mixed media collage emerged as the star of my collection this year. In an informal poll of friends and family, it won the cover spot on my 2023 calendar. (There is also a greeting card version that reads simply, “sending much love.”)
Sending wishes for much love and abundance this Thanksgiving!
“to love this body” was first published in Frogpond, the journal of the Haiku Society of America.
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Makino Studios News
Thanksgiving sale: Use promo code THANKS22 at checkout for 15% off everything in the Makino Studios shop except original art. Good for first-class shipping within the U.S. Only one promo code per order. Sale ends at midnight this Sunday, Nov. 27.
Made in Humboldt fair: The “Made in Humboldt” event at Pierson Garden Shop in Eureka, CA runs through Friday, Dec. 24. This is the only fair where you can buy my calendars, books, prints and boxed notecards this season. There are 250 participating vendors, all local.
Ecuador travel: My husband and I will be in Ecuador and the Galápagos Dec. 3-20! We are visiting our son, who is studying there this semester. Our house sitter will be packaging and mailing orders in my absence, but they may take a little longer to get out the door, so order early!
2023 mini-calendars: My calendars of art and haiku make great holiday gifts! They feature 12 colorful Asian-inspired collages with my original haiku. $12 each.
Water and Stone: My award-winning book of art and haiku includes 50 watercolor paintings with my original poems. Cost is $25. You can find it online here, on Amazon and in select local Humboldt stores.
Cards: Holiday, birthday, sympathy or everyday… right now there are more than 70 Makino Studios card designs to choose from. I also have five different notecard sets, including two holiday designs.
Art prints: Blake’s Books in McKinleyville and Humboldt’s Hometown Store in Ferndale both carry a selection of my matted art prints, ready for gifting. They are among the local stores that carry my books, calendars, notecards and single cards.
Holiday shipping deadline: The US Postal Service advises that for first-class packages to arrive by Dec. 25, they should be shipped by Saturday, Dec. 17.