In the room where it happens

Today I’m sharing my process for “Winding River,” one of the collages in the Ten Thousand Gates group show at the Morris Graves Museum of Art in Eureka, CA. This landscape is inspired by the Klamath River in Orleans, CA where I go every summer to relax and create.

After painting and embellishing the papers with acrylic paints, I tear and place them on the canvas.

Here’s a closeup of the madrone trees as I play with placement.

The papers I’ve painted are organized with each color in a separate bin. On my laptop is one of the photos I took for reference.

At work in the room where it happens! This collage incorporates vintage Japanese letters, old brush paintings, a letter from Germany, book pages, a receipt from Japan, choir music, an insurance letter, plant prints, charcoal and ink scribbles and washi papers.

“Winding River” is 36” x 24”, made with found papers, Japanese washi papers, acrylic paint, colored pencil, charcoal, ink and matte medium on canvas. © Annette Makino 2025

I also want to say, wow, what an amazing few days it’s been! A case of everything everywhere all at once. My keynote at the ukiaHaiku Festival was very well-received and it was sweet to headline this event celebrating haiku in my old hometown of Ukiah, CA. The art opening for the Ten Thousand Gates group show at the Morris Graves Museum in Eureka, CA beautifully showcased the dynamic and diverse work of twelve artists of Asian descent. And the Ink to Paper reading that I organized—the first in Humboldt County to feature all Asian American poets—found a warm audience. Thank you to everyone who came out to these events!

As if all that weren’t enough, in the same ten-day period one of my haibun (prose with haiku) was featured by the poetry journal Rattle. I also spoke on an hour-long Thursday Night Talk panel on KZZH Access Humboldt about the weekend of local events celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage. And haiku luminary Brad Bennett focussed an entire session of his haiku class on my poems and haiga (art with haiku).

All this is a lot for an introvert! But it was really fun and rewarding, a validation of the art and poetry path I stepped onto fifteen years ago. And . . . I’m taking a much-needed vacation May 20-June 8.

stubbled wheat field
learning to let myself
just rest

Though Makino Studios orders will still be shipped, they may take longer to go out. So I’m offering 15% off everything in the shop through midnight this Sunday, Mother’s Day, with code MOMS15.

Happy Mother’s Day to the moms of all kinds out there, and enjoy these late spring days!

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Makino Studios News

Ten Thousand Gates - A Humboldt Celebration of Asian Artists: This art show at the Morris Graves Museum of Art in Eureka, CA features twelve artists of Asian descent: Karla Kaizoji Austin, Cate Be, Jeremy Hara, Ted Hsu, the late Suk Choo Kim, Ali Lee, Thao Le Khac, Amy Leon, Annette Makino, Yoshiko Skelton, Amy Uyeki and Libby Yee. The art ranges from traditional landscapes to contemporary street art. The show runs through June 8.

North Coast Open Studios: I will share my art and process during the second weekend of this fun event that takes place all around Humboldt County. On this 25th anniversary of North Coast Open Studios, I’m joining half a dozen international artists plus local artists at Creekside Arts in Freshwater, CA on Saturday and Sunday, June 14-15 from 10 to 5.

Mother’s Day Sale: Use code MOMS15 at checkout to get 15% off all cards, notecard sets, books, prints and calendars in the shop. Offer expires this Sunday, May 11 at midnight. Excludes original art.

Vacay plans: I will be on vacation May 20 to June 8, and Makino Studios orders will go out slowly while I’m gone. Sorry for the wait!

Cards for graduation, wedding and more: You can browse the card collection for these occasions and others.

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“stubbled wheat field” was published in Mariposa, #50, Spring/Summer 2024

How a collage is born

Today I want to take you into my studio and share my process for creating a collage—specifically, the oak tree collage shown below. It’s part of my 2022 calendar of art and haiku, which is 15% off through Sunday.

The most time-intensive part of the process is actually painting the papers—this takes twice as long as all the rest. Here, I’m rolling hand-mixed acrylic paint onto a page from an old book, which is placed on a gel press plate. I always start with white paper and then paint it so that the colors won’t fade over time. On my table you can see clear plastic totes of papers that I’ve painted and embellished, one tote for each color.

I've always loved oak trees, and have drawn, painted, embroidered, quilted or batiked them since I was a kid. Here, I’ve torn the shapes of an oak tree with a boulder behind it, based loosely on some photos I took on a hike in the Kneeland hills of Humboldt County, CA. I prefer the organic look of torn rather than cut edges.

In this photo, you can see some shapes I have torn and laid down to represent leaves and bushes. The papers include some textural pieces made by applying paint to crinkled tin foil and rolling it onto painted deli paper. I also used an old map and some lacy paper from Japan that I painted, both of which suggest foliage.

Here, I’ve glued down the background and am tearing a tiny piece of foliage. I think of my collage process as “tearing things together.”

Almost there! Once I’ve laid out the pieces how I want them, I reverse the whole piece onto a separate sheet of paper. Now I can glue them down in the proper order, so the background pieces go down first. I apply archival glue (PVA) with an old paintbrush.

Ta-da! A few weeks after I made this piece, I lay in the hammock at my mother’s home in Mendocino County and brainstormed haiku that could go with it. The final piece reads:

staying balanced
on a spinning globe—
deep-rooted oak

Regarding the lettering, sometimes I paint each haiku individually using sumi ink and a bamboo brush. In this case, I used a custom font made from my brush-painted letters.

The red stamp in the corner is my name seal, also known as a chop or hanko, reading “Makino.”

I learned some of these collage techniques from a workshop with artist Donna Watson and books by Elizabeth St. Hilaire, and I am discovering new techniques all the time. Please let me know if you have any questions about my process!

"staying balanced" is 8x10, made of painted papers, glue and illustration board. The original is available for purchase. © Annette Makino 2020

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Makino Studios News

Sale on 2022 mini-calendars: My calendars of art and haiku are moving so fast that I ordered 200 more! They are now 15% off on the Makino Studios site, just till midnight this Sunday. Use code CAL15 at checkout. They are also sold at stores in Eureka, Arcata, McKinleyville and Trinidad, CA. The calendars feature 12 colorful Asian-inspired collages with my original haiku. Normally $12 each.

Water and Stone: My book of art and haiku makes a great gift! It includes 50 watercolor paintings with my original poems. Cost is $24.99. 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 60 Makino Studios card designs, including seven new or updated designs. Please note that due to increased costs, the price for a single card will rise on January 1, from $4.50 to $5.00. 

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. 

Art prints at Blake’s Books: This bookstore in McKinleyville, CA currently has a selection of my framed and unframed art prints, ready for gifting. They are also 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 this Friday, Dec. 17.