“evening rays” by Annette Makino is featured in the Arcata Library exhibit. © Annette Makino 2025
TIMES-STANDARD, EUREKA, CA, MAY 22, 2026) - Annette Makino is the featured artist in May at the Arcata Library, 500 Seventh St. Her haiku accompany the 30 mixed media collages in the show.
“Some years back, I learned about the Japanese tradition of haiga, in which ink paintings are combined with haiku,” Makino said. “I was inspired to write my own haiku and combine them with my art in a way that deepens the meaning of both the image and the words.”
In the show, each of Makino’s artworks has a label with an accompanying haiku. For instance, a collage of a heron along a riverbank goes with this haiku: evening rays/the driftwood stick/spreads its wings.
“I’m calling this show ‘Paper Alchemy’ because there is something magical about transforming old letters, book pages and other papers into beautiful and meaningful artwork,” Makino said. “And in an age when AI-generated art is everywhere, there is something extra special about pieces that are made completely by hand, with paper, paint and glue, in a way that no computer could replicate.”
Makino’s bright and joyful pieces include many Humboldt County landscapes such as forests, oceans, rivers, and dunes. Animals including whales, otters, frogs, cats and dogs are also featured in her art.
Makino is the recipient of a Victor Thomas Jacoby award for her artistic vision and creativity. Her haiku regularly appear in poetry journals and anthologies and have won honors in the Touchstone Awards, the Henderson Haiku Contest, the Brady Senryu Contest, the Porad Haiku Award, and the Jane Reichhold International Prize.
Go to makinostudios.com for more information about her work.
Right now, the Arcata Library is also featuring colorful springtime art by students from Arcata Elementary School.