My first collage show!

wind blowing upriver
one of the ripples
becomes an otter

“wind blowing upriver” depicts the Trinity River. It is 11x14, made from Japanese washi papers and book pages. These were painted, torn, and glued on a cradled birch panel, then embellished with charcoal and pencil.

Long, long ago, in February 2020, I flew to Tucson for an inspiring three-day workshop called “Wabi Sabi: The Spirit of Collage,” with artist Donna Watson.

Of course, the world shut down a month later—and as a result, my regular Makino Studios business dropped off significantly. I used the unexpected free time to pivot from the watercolor painting I had been doing for a decade to explore collage-making. (See A silver lining amid the pandemic.)

Fast forward two and a half years, and I am excited to present the first show of my new collage work, opening this Saturday, September 3!

Humboldt friends, I’d love to see you at the opening. It takes place at Just My Type in Old Town Eureka from 6 to 9 p.m. during Arts Alive. For those who can’t come in person, I will post my new work in my Makino Studios online gallery this Saturday for a virtual opening.

Called “Torn Together,” the show will feature thirty Asian-inspired collages, including several brand-new ones made during my two river retreats this summer. Northern California landscapes and animals are a major theme.

The pieces are made from painted and embellished paper that I then tear, glue and mount onto cradled birch panels. The papers, which start out white, include Japanese washi papers, old letters, book pages, and maps. On a nearby placard, an original haiku will accompany each piece.

Just My Type Letterpress Paperie is located at 235 F Street near 3rd Street in Old Town Eureka. Masks are strongly encouraged.

This solo show runs through September. It is made possible in part by a grant from the Ink People’s Funds for Artists’ Resilience.

The haiku “wind blowing upriver” was first published in Kingfisher, Issue 2, December 2020

Process shots: I paint and assemble potential papers, then tear and glue the pieces.

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Makino Studios News

North Country Fair: I am really looking forward to my first big fair since 2019! The North Country Fair takes place on the Arcata Plaza the weekend of Sept. 17-18 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Makino Studios booth will once again be located on G Street near Moore’s Sleep World. I’ll have my brand-new 2023 mini-calendars and ten new card designs on hand! This is the only in-person fair I plan to do for the rest of this year.

2023 calendars: For the tenth year in a row, I have created a mini-calendar of art and haiku—and this might be my best yet! Featuring natural scenes and original words, the calendar is currently being printed and should be available on this site and in local stores in mid-September.

New card designs: There are also ten new card designs at the press, expected back in time for the North Country Fair and soon to be listed on the Makino Studios site.

Obon Festival: Humboldt’s first Obon Festival took place on Aug. 14, and it was a dynamic gathering of our community as well as a chance to honor our ancestors. Taiko drummers, bon odori dancing, bento boxes, games for kids and arts and crafts booths like mine—what fun! Many thanks to Humboldt Asian Pacific Islanders in Solidarity (HAPI) for organizing it.

Summer vacation for the mind

“cloud sun cloud,” which sold recently, is 8x10. It was created with painted book pages, washi papers and glue on birch wood. Art © Annette Makino 2021.

An earlier version of the haiku was published in Frogpond 36:1 (Winter 2013); reprinted in A VAST SKY: An Anthology of Contemporary World Haiku, edited by Bruce Ross, Koko Kato, Dietmar Tauchner and Patricia Prime, Tancho Press, 2015; and in Wishbone Moon (Women’s Haiku Anthology), edited by Roberta Beary, Ellen Compton, Kala Ramesh; Jacar Press; 2018.

Well, the news is certainly grim these days. Appalling Supreme Court rulings on abortion and climate change. Multiple mass shootings. The ongoing assault on democracy. The grinding war in Ukraine. The endless Covid pandemic (and please don’t talk to me about monkeypox, I can’t even).

But just for today, I’m going to set all that aside. Instead, I want to share some fun haiku on the general theme of summer travel. Here’s hoping this small dose of humor and lightness will help carry you through these dark days—a mini-vacation for the mind.

the cramped seats
in Economy
mini pretzels

Kingfisher Journal, Issue 2, December 2020

palm frond hut
all night the rooster
announcing dawn

Presence, Issue 68, December 2020

beginning Spanish
I practice staying
in the present

Kingfisher Journal, Issue 1, June 2020

desert flower
I try to pee
generously

Kingfisher Journal, Issue 1, June 2020

Grand Canyon our very small talk

Frogpond, Vol. 43:1, Winter 2020

white hill town
the herder shakes down cherries
for his goats

Presence, Issue 68, December 2020

Following is a rengay, a form of linked verse written together with Cynthia Anderson.

Western Wind

worn atlas
his finger travels
a new route

airing out
the musty suitcase

open road
the dog’s ears
streaming

western wind
the first whiff
of ocean

a row of sand dollars
on the front porch

rocking chair
his head nodding
with the waves

Annette Makino
Cynthia Anderson

Hedgerow, Issue 137, published Dec. 31, 2021

Despite all the madness, here’s wishing you a happy Fourth of July weekend and a fun and relaxing summer!

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Thanks Ukiah! I had a great time reading my poems at the ukiaHaiku Festival in May (shown above), and again as the featured reader for the Writers Read series at the Grace Hudson Museum last week. I appreciate everyone who turned out!

Makino Studios News

Merit Book Award: I am thrilled that Water and Stone: Ten Years of Art and Haiku has received Honorable Mention for Haiga in the Merit Book Awards sponsored by the Haiku Society of America! The commentary by judges Agnes Eva Savich and Bill Cooper was just published in Frogpond: “Perfectly painted pretty colors, poignant haiku, the best kind of storytelling haibun: this decade’s worth of the artist-poet’s work contains all the delights one could dream of from an inspiring haijin of our greater haiku family.” [NOTE: A haijin is someone who writes haiku.]

Art retreat: I will be on a creative retreat the week of July 9-16, writing haiku and making collages. So please get your orders in this coming week!

Solo show: The first-ever show of my collage art will take place at Just My Type in Old Town Eureka, CA in September, with an opening during Arts Alive! on Saturday, September 3. This show is made possible in part by an Artists’ Resilience Grant from The Ink People Center for the Arts.

A peek at my new lettering process

“deep river” is 11x14. This collage features three coho salmon swimming upstream, back to the place they were born. This piece is the January art for my 2022 calendar of art and haiku. As with all my collages, the papers start out white, and I then paint them with lightfast acrylic paint.

One fun detail is that the phrase "deep, deep river" appears on a scrap of a musical score. You can also see some prints I made from ferns, plus mango paper from Thailand, washi paper from Japan, newsprint, and even a toilet paper wrapper! I added the haiku using my Yuki font.

A new graduation card version reads, “congratulations—onward and upward!”

© Annette Makino 2021

There was a lot of interest in my last post, “How a collage is born.” So today I want to go behind the scenes again and share a bit about the process for my lettering. 

For my paintings and collages, I typically make one version of a piece that includes a haiku and another with the words for a greeting card. I normally leave the words off the original. 

I used to brush-paint each haiku or phrase using sumi ink, an ink stone and a bamboo brush. If you’ve ever tried painting or lettering using a brush and ink, you know it’s a delicate art with no room for error. So it would usually take me several tries to get right.

Then I would scan the words, edit out the white background, and digitally add the text to my art. This was a slow and painstaking process—with uneven results. 

Traditionally you make sumi ink by grinding an ink stick in an ink stone. Photo by Brandi Easter.

Here I am painting the letters for my custom font using sumi ink and a fine bamboo brush. I chose the best version of each letter for the font.

That changed last spring, when Arcata-based graphic designer and tech wiz Gabe Schneider at Sight Study created a custom font for me using my brush-painted letters. He used an extension for Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop called FontSelf, which turns lettering into OpenType fonts. He fine-tuned the spaces between letters (kerning and tracking), and even figured out a clever way to make a bold version.

A detail of my custom Yuki font based on the letters I painted above.

There are still situations when I will hand-paint my words. Sometimes I want a special look, as with the big section headings for my book, Water and Stone. Or sometimes a customer buys an original painting and wants the haiku on it. But I’m always nervous that I will ruin the painting with a typo or smear—it’s been known to happen!

With my new brush font, I can quickly and easily type the words for my haiku and greeting cards. I’ve used it for slide show presentations of my art and poetry, and it also works beautifully for the 365 dates on my calendar. 

Is it “cheating”? Using my custom font may seem less Zen than painting each letter by hand in the traditional way, but it also creates less aggravation. And isn’t that actually more Zen? Plus, I get elegant, consistent results in a fraction of the time—giving me more time to write haiku and make art.

A quick Google search for “Asian brush font” returns 34 million results—but none of them are mine. I named my font Yuki, which means snow in Japanese. It also happens to be my middle name. I say let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

rice paper moon
pine trees brush
the inky sky

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Makino Studios News

My 2022 calendar uses my Yuki font for the dates—something I would never do by hand.

New card designs: I’ve created several brand-new card designs, including three birthday cards and one for graduation, and I’ve updated others with new words. Browse the whole card collection, including Valentine’s Day cards.

Sale on 2022 mini-calendars: My 2022 mini-calendars, featuring 12 colorful Asian-inspired collages with my original haiku, are now on sale for $9.99 (from $12.00). I like to think of these as a small rotating gallery of art.

My first book review: A new review of Water and Stone: Ten Years of Art and Haiku in Haiku Canada Review says, “The images in Annette Makino’s collection are lovely, the prose is limpid, and the haiku seem effortlessly to verbalize how we are part of the world.” You can find my book here, on Amazon and in select Humboldt stores. It is 8x10, perfect bound, full color, and 124 pages. $24.99.

The gift of gathering

“sideways rain” is 8x10, made of paper, acrylic paint, and adhesive on paper. © Annette Makino 2020.

As a strong introvert, I keep having to re-learn a truth that is screamingly obvious to any extrovert: humans need community to thrive. Although writing haiku and making art are usually solitary activities, I still need to connect with other like-minded souls for ideas, support and a sense of greater purpose.

Late last month I attended the annual Seabeck Haiku Getaway in Washington State. I’ve joined (and presented at) several haiku conferences via Zoom during the pandemic. But this was the first one that I’ve attended in person, fortified by my Covid booster shot and reassured by the required proof of vaccination and masks.

one red leaf
just inside the door
haiku welcome

It was deeply nourishing to spend three days talking, writing and breathing haiku with other members of this unique tribe. I knew some people from previous Seabeck gatherings, others only as bylines in haiku journals. Some participants were newbies and others were longtime leaders in the field, but all were true fans of the elusive art of haiku. 

It was especially affirming to give a presentation on my haiga (art combined with haiku) to a warm and appreciative crowd. A section on my senryu (haiku’s funnier cousin) elicited waves of laughter. I thought, “These people get me!”

Margaret Chula reads at the Cathedral in the Woods at the Seabeck Conference Center in Washington State in October 2021.

At Seabeck, we connected over meals and in a cedar grove where poets gave readings. On a trail through the woods to an overgrown cemetery and on a fun “bouncing bridge” on the conference grounds. In dozens of sessions and conversations, I found inspiration and community. The theme of this year’s conference? “Togetherness.”

the bouncing bridge
shakes loose our giggles
sun through cedars

Especially with people gathering for Thanksgiving this week, I am reminded that we all need community to make our lives rich and meaningful—even us introverts. I’m grateful beyond measure for all of it. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

sideways rain
a stranger’s umbrella 
brushes mine

More about the special magic of Seabeck.

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Makino Studios News

Thanksgiving special: Free shipping all week, no minimum orders! Use code THANKS21 at checkout for free first-class shipping on any order within the US. Offer runs through midnight this Sunday, Nov. 28.

Top 10 reasons to shop local for the holidays: On Nov. 16, the Eureka Times-Standard published a column I wrote for their Business Sense series. The article also shares ideas for meaningful holiday gifts, especially from local artists and craftspeople. 

Holiday shipping deadline: The US Postal Service advises that for first-class packages to arrive by Dec. 25, they should be shipped by Dec. 17. 

2022 mini-calendar: My calendars of art and haiku are going like hotcakes! They are available on this site and at select stores in Humboldt County, California. They feature 12 colorful Asian-inspired collages with my original haiku. $12 each. 

Water and Stone: My book of art and haiku, Water and Stone, makes a lovely 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. 

Made in Humboldt fair: The “Made in Humboldt” event at Pierson Garden Shop in Eureka, CA runs through Friday, Dec. 24. This will be the only fair where you can buy my calendars, books, prints and boxed notecards this season. 

Art prints at Blake’s Books: This sweet bookstore in McKinleyville currently has a selection of my framed and unframed art prints, ready for gifting! They also carry my calendars, notecard sets and single cards.

The eye of the beholder

The Nativity Façade of the Basílica de la Sagrada Família in Barcelona, Spain.

Once upon a time, long, long ago—the summer before the pandemic, to be precise—my family and I spent a couple of weeks traveling around Spain. In Barcelona we visited the Basílica de la Sagrada Família, designed by Antoni Gaudí starting in 1882. Many of its millions of annual visitors find it stunningly beautiful. 

cobblestoned street
church bells ring
across the centuries

Unfortunately, its charms were mostly lost on me. The lumpy Nativity Façade, supposedly representing images from nature, made me think of a nasty skin rash. The cold and angular Passion Façade, meant to evoke Christ’s suffering, reminded me of the ugly Brutalist architecture I saw in the Soviet Union back in the 80s and 90s. 

At least I’m not the only one to shudder at the sight. George Orwell called it "one of the most hideous buildings in the world.” 

A view of the Alhambra in Granada, Spain.

I found plenty of other architecture to love in Spain, especially the Alhambra, the elegant Islamic palace and fortress in Granada.

where stone turns to lace Alhambra

The experience underscored for me that beauty is ultimately subjective. It means that as an artist, I need to accept that my creations won’t connect with everyone. It also means that I’m not the best judge of my own art, at least in terms of how it appeals to others.

So for the last couple years, I’ve been relying on the wisdom of crowds for big decisions about marketing my work. 

For my book, this spring I polled a focus group of some 20 friends and relations to help me decide which of my watercolor paintings to include and which to axe. I especially needed help choosing which piece would be most compelling on the cover (without the haiku). And I’ve relied on this same process to finalize choices for my calendars of art and haiku.

It’s fascinating to compile everyone’s responses. For each image that someone thinks should go on the cover, someone else votes to leave it out entirely. 

focus group
the conclusions
fuzzy

“flowering plum” is 11 x 14, made of paper, acrylic paint, and adhesive on paper. It appears in the 2022 calendar. © Annette Makino 2021.

Still, some patterns emerge, even if they’re not what I expected. A collage that I would have completely left off the 2022 calendar, featuring a bee in plum blossoms, was a finalist for the cover. The other finalist, a fox in the woods, was not one I had even considered for the cover.

With votes almost evenly split between those two potential cover images, I posed the question on Facebook and Instagram. Responses there skewed toward the fox. I also felt the fox image was more appropriate to the fall and winter, when people are buying calendars. 

But some people said they loved the brightness and optimism of the honeybee piece, especially after the year we’ve had. In the end, I went with the fox, but lightened and brightened the colors to make it more cheerful and welcoming. 

I’m really hoping that my respondents and I got it right, because 700 copies of the new 2022 calendar have just arrived in my studio! I’m very happy with how it turned out and I’m sure it’s a stronger publication thanks to the input I received. 

I hope you’ll find that this collection of landscapes, flowers and animals evokes neither hideous rashes nor Socialist monuments, just joyful celebration of life on this beautiful earth. May this calendar see us through a brighter 2022.

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Makino Studios News

NEW! 2022 mini-calendar: My new calendars of art and haiku are now available on this site and are coming soon to select stores in Humboldt County, California. They feature 12 colorful Asian-inspired collages with my original haiku, which you can see at the top of my collage gallery. These make great holiday gifts. $12 plus tax and shipping.

Joy, Art & Healing: I’m speaking on this fascinating topic this coming Sunday, Oct. 3, from 3 to 4 p.m. Pacific as part of an online panel with four fellow creatives. This is part of a free, 7-conversation series in celebration of a fantasy novel by Lori Snyder, The Circus at the End of the Sea. Register at www.writershappiness.com/JAH2021.

Water and Stone: I’ve just received the third shipment of my book of art and haiku! Water and Stone includes 50 watercolor paintings with my original poems, plus 15 haibun (short prose pieces combined with haiku). It is softbound, 8x10, full color, and 124 pages. Cost is $24.99 plus tax and shipping, You can find it online here, on Amazon and in select local Humboldt stores. Ooh, another gift idea!

New cards coming soon: I’ve got a number of new and updated greeting cards in the works; I’m just figuring out the words for some of the images. Stay tuned!

Made in Humboldt fair: You’ll be able to find my calendars, prints and boxed notecards at the “Made in Humboldt” event at Pierson Garden Shop in Eureka, CA from Tuesday, Nov. 9 through Friday, Dec. 24. This will be the only fair where you can find my work this season.

The worth of this day

“how to measure” is 5x7, made with a sand dollar, a Japanese stamp, hand-painted Japanese washi papers and other found papers on illustration board. © Annette Makino 2021

I’m delighted to share that, for the second year in a row, I’m one of three finalists for Best Local Artist in the North Coast Journals’s Best of Humboldt contest! The others are mural artists Duane Flatmo and Blake Reagan. Anyone can vote, once a day through June. I hope you will take a moment to support me and all your favorite local people and places.

As any working artist can tell you, there are many easier and more lucrative ways to make a living. Vincent van Gogh, now one of the world’s most famous artists, only survived due to financial support from his brother.

Though they may not have a brother like Theo, most of the artists I know rely on additional sources of income like teaching art, a day job, grants or a partner with good benefits. And the most financially successful artists aren’t necessarily the best at making art; they’re just really skilled at self-promotion and the business side of art. Look no further than the balloon rabbit sculpture by Jeff Koons that sold for $91 million a couple years ago.

Unlike Koons’ balloon animals, my creative work brings in a fraction of what I earned in my old professional life. But the freedom and quality of life I enjoy are priceless. 

how to measure
the worth of this day
sand dollar moon

And whether it’s a painting, a poem, or a song, there is a special satisfaction in creating something meaningful that no one else could have made.

art studio
a full day’s work
under my nails

Although it doesn’t clearly show on a balance sheet, knowing that my work touches others only multiplies the rewards. After ten years of running Makino Studios, I’m still quietly amazed to receive checks from stores in the mail, because it means that perfect strangers are willing to pay for my art. Deepest thanks to my customers and fans for your ongoing support.

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“how to measure” haiga published in Modern Haiku, Issue 52.2, Summer 2021

“art studio” haiku published in The Heron’s Nest, Volume XXII, Number 2, June 2021

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“first warm breeze” is 5x7, made with a Japanese stamp, hand-painted Japanese washi papers and twine on illustration board. © Annette Makino 2021

Makino Studios News

Best Local Artist: I’m a finalist for Best Local Artist in the North Coast Journal’s 2021 Best of Humboldt contest! Anyone can vote, every day in June, and I’d love your support.

New artwork: Four of my collage pieces are featured in the Poetry Gallery section of the latest issue of Modern Haiku, including the two shown here. You can view all of them and many others in the Gallery section.

“Word and Image: Exploring Modern Haiga”: I will present this session on haiga, or art combined with haiku, together with Linda Papanicolaou, Editor of HaigaOnline, at the Haiku Society of America’s annual conference. This year’s event runs this Saturday and Sunday, June 12-13, and is free via Zoom. Anyone can register. Our 50-minute workshop is Sunday at noon Pacific time. 

Water and Stone: Ten Years of Art and Haiku: My book is almost ready and I’m hoping to publish shortly! It features fifty watercolor haiga along with fifteen new haibun (autobiographical prose pieces with haiku). This softbound book will be 8x10, full color, 124 pages, on sale at Amazon or select independent bookstores for $24.99.

North Country Fair: This annual fair on the Arcata Plaza is scheduled to take place Sept. 18-19 this year, if COVID-19 safety permits. Makino Studios will be there!

Free shipping on cards and prints: Use code FREESHIP35 to get free first-class shipping on cards, prints, or other items on US orders of $35 or more.