I started the "365 Daily Haiku 2009" project for one major reason. That was to be able to do something creative every day. I felt out of touch with the creativity I had worked with for so many years. I needed a tool to stay in touch with it, let it develop and hopefully enjoy the process.
I set the parameters to have several decisions made for me and be able to concentrate of the work. One parameter was the size of the canvas. The other was the type of text I would work with, because usually I write free verse and that would be too time consuming. I wanted an avenue that would allow me to write the idea, and revise it quickly.
I would use the 3" x 5' cards that I'd had for a long time and I had enough to create for the year. Also, I liked the cream color. The other factor was the verse. Haiku being a structured form of poetry, it would help (or force) me to use few words. I also decided that I would work with both the visual and the text to be "complete" , but I wouldn't over work either.
A secondary, but not less important reason I began this project was to attempt to slow life down. The last few years, I found myself saying where did ____ (fill it in with a name of a month ) go? I wanted to be able to slow time down and also be able to have some concrete evidence that I had passed through the time. I guess that's why many artists do what they do...
Now blogging about the project, I have a second record of last year and this year! As I review the entries for the blog, I critique them. But I am not changing them at this point
I would love to read why and how anyone reading this makes time and energy for making art - writing, painting, quilting....
April 17,2009.
This entry was done simply: I used an ink pad to color the background. I made a "sun" stamp for the circle (Originally it was for the full moon, but worked for the sun also.)I wrote the text - have not yet learned to write straight - with a calligraphy pen.
I frequently did not like the shape that the oval, Cat's Eye ink pads left. However the sky has a pleasing unevenness of color in this entry. We do have that sky color that's a Maxfield Parrish blue from horizon to horizon, but the irregularity made this more appealing.
I'm very interested in what you wrote about your reasons for starting your "365 Days of Haiku" project for 2009. What you say about setting some parameters for your work (the size of your cards, the use of Haiku, and letting the images and words stand "as is" after you created a fiber image) is both useful and important. Sometimes, the idea of working in a series or creating a cohesive art project that spans a significant amount of time can seem overwhelming. Setting some guidelines ahead of time seems like a great way to alleviate some of our concern about such artistic efforts. I also very much appreciate your thoughts about your Haiku writing/fiber art providing a reflective record of your experience from week to week and month to month. As another fiber artist and writer, I find that writing poetry or creating smaller-scale imagery also gives me the opportunity to be present to a single moment or experience. That sort of a creative process crystallizes precious moments in a way that little else seems to do for me. How about others of you out there. . .what do you do to capture moments or memories in your life as it relates to your art?
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