Best of Humboldt

“sandstone trail” is 11x14. It is painted on paper with sumi ink and Japanese watercolors. This was a commissioned piece that has sold, but it is available as a card reading, “happy birthday, bright spirit.” © Annette Makino 2020

“sandstone trail” is 11x14. It is painted on paper with sumi ink and Japanese watercolors. This was a commissioned piece that has sold, but it is available as a card reading, “happy birthday, bright spirit.” © Annette Makino 2020

Artist Annette Makino paints with Japanese watercolors in her Arcata, California studio. Photo by Brandi Easter Photography.

Artist Annette Makino paints with Japanese watercolors in her Arcata, California studio. Photo by Brandi Easter Photography.

I am excited to share that I've been nominated for Best Local Artist in the North Coast Journal's 2020 Best of Humboldt contest! I am one of only three finalists.

Though I have many loyal fans, I have never received any formal recognition for my art, so this honor means a lot. Thanks to all who nominated me! 

Please show your support for me and all your favorite Humboldt County businesses by voting at northcoastjournal.com/BOH20.

Anyone is eligible to vote, and you can vote once per day until June 30. So vote early and vote often!


Pomp and extreme circumstances

After five years, five majors, and three schools, my daughter Maya graduated from college this month. Of course a normal commencement ceremony was out of the question in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. So we had to get creative. Luckily, artists are good at thinking outside the box!

Poems for the pandemic

Poems for the pandemic

It feels like the coronavirus changed everything in a nanosecond. Today is International Haiku Poetry Day, so here is one small window on these crazy times, sprinkled with haiku.

Connect with a card

Connect with a card

Let's face it, social distancing can be lonely. While we're all staying home and self-isolating, let me send greeting cards from you to your friends and family. During this strange and stressful time, I will hand-write your message on any card you purchase through this site, then mail it to your recipient for free

From the ashes

From the ashes

Last fall’s Kincade Fire was the worst of California’s 2019 wildfires. The school where my sister teaches was closed for three weeks. When it finally reopened in November, Yoshi had an idea: to have her art students harvest charcoal from the burned logs on the school grounds, and use it to draw a mural of phoenixes.

2020 vision

Well, this past year was a pretty dark time for our planet. As Dave Barry writes, “It was a year so eventful that every time another asteroid whizzed past the Earth, barely avoiding a collision that would have destroyed human civilization, we were not 100 percent certain it was good news.”