AND BACK TO WINTER

"FIRST SNOW FALLING
ON THE HALF-FINISHED BRIDGE"

What appears to be a very complicated piece is really a manipulation of silhouettes. Of all the paintings I've put together for this Haiku project I must admit that this one was my favorite. It appears my work is teetering between Matisse and Erte. I don't mind the Erte part.

I have two semi-projects I'm working on at the moment and might not get another Haiku illustrated until tomorrow. One project is getting familiar with the Silo program as suggested by my buddy Virginia. The other is getting something together for the birthday girl. But I might be able to squeeze in an illustration all the same. We'll just have to find out.

AN OLD FRIEND FROM THE ARCHIVES

Because I wasn't able to meet my deadline today (close but no cigar) I thought I'd pull out another favorite of mine from 1999. This is a finished study I did for a painting of Paradise. I know how popular the stained glass motif is with you guys and gals so I figured one more before I attempt to finish the current painting. Now I have a guest upstairs waiting to play another game of Go. See you all.

SPRING IS IN THE AIR

OR AT LEAST ON PAPER.

One fallen flower returning to the branch?...

Oh no! A white butterfly

I thought I'd do a daylight painting today giving everyone the opportunity to see the new colors I ordered. Tomorrow's Haiku will be back to another night theme but I'm sure it won't be repetitious. In fact, it won't really be an illustration for a Haiku, but it will be as poetic.

ONE FOR THE BOOK

This one started out as another Haiku: "Summer night, even the stars seem to whisper." but had to change it for simplification. This particular illustration serves two fold. One for the Haiku and the other is for the man on the hill sharing the observation with the man in the hat.

Tomorrow's Haiku illustration will be a departure from these dark night scenes. It will be spring with all the colors that can be attributed to that season.

FROM CONCEPT TO COMPLETION

I woke up this morning feeling much better than I did yesterday and finally finished off the firefly dance in the rain. Was trying something just a little bit different in contemporizing the setting of the age old Haiku. It's funny how the things that our ancestors observed is still held in the same fascination by modern man. Like the rainbow for example. Someone yells "rainbow" and everyone has to see it. As for me, I'm just fascinated with the fact that the moon I look at tonight will be the very same moon that the Christ looked at during his short stay on this planet.

LATE NIGHT INSPIRATION

"Can these be sparks of rain or drops of light?
Fireflies darting through a shower at night." MORITAKE

I read this Spring Haiku tonight and couldn't get to sleep until I jotted down a nice composition on an index card. Not satisfied with just drawing it I kept thinking about the colors for this composition while trying to fall asleep. One thing led to another and here I am doing a finished study to put the demons to sleep. Looks a bit like Art Nouveau. I'll probably wake up tomorrow morning and scrap the entire idea, but tonight it looks good enough to sleep on. Good night.

FEELIN' LIKE MATISSE TODAY

Although this piece looks simple enough in design, I had worked on it for over five hours which is about average. I thought it would only take a couple of hours so even I was surprised as to how difficult the simple line was. But it's done. Sorry to have not included the Haiku I did this for but, (once again) my notes are upstairs in my study. I seem to remember it was something about carp coming to the surface for air. Any lack of inspiration for a better Haiku can be charged to me.

HOT OFF THE PRESSES

The moonlit night outside is cold and clear,
Under the tree, a carriage - stopping here!

I'm sure many would've rather seen a horse and carriage under the tree but that would have required a break from simplified Haiku illustration. Even so, I like the way the auto's headlights work within the overall compostition, seeing it as romantic in it's own right, and kept it.

Tomorrow's work will consist of beginning another vinyl painting, not sure which one off hand, and do two more studies for future illustrations. It's a lot on the plate for one day but we are anticipating rough weather again for the next couple of days and maybe even some snow! This will keep me indoors with plenty of time for art.

THE ARCHIVE FILES ARE FULL

This is another study I did many years ago before Photoshop. That gives you an indication as to how long ago it was. I think the program I used was Corell Draw 3. I'm thinking about doing this in vinyl but haven't made up my mind yet. I'd have to do the entire thing over again in the cut-out form and I have my doubts if I can recapture the mood in that style.

Today is domestix day which means I'll be limiting my time in the studio. I hope I can get at least one illustration done today. If not, the rains will be returning tonight and continue for the next few days which means I'll more than make up for the loss of time spent at the grocer's and WalMart. Ah - The glamorous life of the artist...

HIROSHIGE'S GOT NUTHIN' TO WORRY ABOUT

This is my first press from the stamp I promised in the earlier blog. I see some areas that have to be defined more but over all I'm happy with it. And satisfied to know I won't be doing this again any time soon. It took too much precious time from my illustrations.

The current Haiku I'll be working with goes like this:

"The moonlit night outside is cold and clear;
Under the trees, a carriage - stopping here!" Irenchi

ANOTHER SOMETHING FROM THE PAST

Here's something I did about 6 or 7 years ago when I first began experimenting with the 3M vinyl. I've always admired Bentwood furniture but never seemed to have a design for them in any of my paintings. That is up until I did this still life.

Currently I'm working on a 4 x 6 stamp which I've been carving on for several days now. I'm in hopes to have it completed sometime today so I can present it to you all later this evening. There are a great many details involved which is why I'm so glad I have my trusty magnifying glass to rely on. And so it's off to the chopping block for another hour interval.

GIT OUT THE SKILLET

The long Spring day: where reeds are tall and rank,
A boat is talking with the river-bank. SHIKI

I've done this painting as not only an illustration for the above Haiku but also as a homage to my father who taught me everything I know about fishing. Many a morning on the river was this beautiful sight waiting for us. And if you look behind the reeds to the lower right you just might see a large mouth bass quivering in fear. That was the typical reaction of fish when either my father or I entered the water.

EARLY MORNING SATURDAY RITUAL

Makes me happy,
the whiteness of my lover's fan.

This is my first intentional illustrated Haiku done back in 1999. I have another current vinyl painting, devoted to the season Spring. It's also a sort of portrait of my father, only second to me in the long line of great fishermen from the Land of Pleasant Living's Chesapeake Bay area. I may be able to finish it today providing I finish the ritual of organizing the studio. It's been over a week since I've been able to see my table tops and so a thorough job has got to be accomplished before I can immerse myself in my work again. Here's hoping I see you all in the late afternoon.

THE COLD CRESCENT MOON RISING

After some minor trials and errors on this study I finally came up with a fairly nice painting in vinyl. And once again I got to use my paint brush not only on the stars, but also the faint outline of the moon. And good news, I can speed up production today as I received my 100 pieces of matte board. And so it's off to the drawing table.

THE VIOLINIST

A semi-stained glass painting which is still looking for a Haiku to pair off with.

ON A ROLL NOW

Crossing the early Autumn moor -
I keep hearing
someone behind me!

This Haiku was written by another Japanese favorite of mine, Buson. The day before I did the study for this vinyl my father and I were chatting about the "good ol' days". He told me of how he once took a shortcut through a field at night and the entire time he could hear footsteps behind him. A lot of people have experienced this phenomenon which might account for late night joggers. :-) However, the next day I had read the above Haiku and naturally had to do this one. It is also, naturally, dedicated to my father.

THE CROW HAS LANDED

The crow welcoming in Autumn and eagerly awaits the Winter snows. (another vinyl painting finished for posterity.)

ANOTHER ONE FOR THE LOUVRE

I had to make some last minute changes to the original study only because I didn't have as big a selection of blue values as I thought. And then I had major reservations about how the mist would turn out as well. It seemed to come around alright in spite of my limitations. The flashes of ice crystals in the air was my favorite part of the painting where I actually got to paint. Tomorrow I hope to have two more finished in vinyl.

TWO FINISHED INTERPRETATIONS

"One umbrella, as snowy dusk draws on, Has come; and passes by; and now is gone... "

This one was probably the most intricate of all the studies so I tackled it first to get my feet wet for the task ahead. How the raindrop falling from the back of the umbrella managed to find it's way in front of the curtain is a mystery that I will have to fix. :-)


Of course I had to do my favorite after finishing with the hardest. And now it's over to the drafting table to begin work on the next vinyl painting.

ANOTHER NIGHT VISION

"The Winter storm tonight that howls and raves, dies away to the distant sound of waves."
Gonsui

Winter just seems to be more mysterious and colder when shown at night. Even the stars seem to be made of ice. Or are they just ice crystals hovering in the air? When you think about it, Autumn wouldn't be the same without the crashing of colors under a deep azure blue sky with sunshine. To view Autumn at night would be such a waste of color whereas colors come to life in Winter under the light of a full moon.

A WORK IN PROGRESS

This illustration is using a well known phrase from the western culture as it's inspiration. Although it is not a Haiku it could very well have been in it's simplicity. In keeping with the Haiku style both written and illustration, I would like to think this work has joined the two cultures without compromising either. As for the translation... the first one who can translate the painting will get a copy of the finished work for free, no strings.

VARIATION ON A THEME

This illustration is intentionally a little on the spooky side, which might require some more work to enhance that spookiness. The main thing is doing the poem justice rather than depreciate it's esthetic worth. And now it's off to the next illustration.

MY FAVORITE SO FAR

The poet is Haiku master Issa written when he was only 6 years old. I may have made this Haiku a bit too oriental - straying from my initial intent of bringing the oriental and oxident worlds together. But then I figured the sparrow could be the bond in this study. As an aside, the Haiku that belongs with the umbrella painting reads as follows: "One umbrella, as snowy dusk draws on, Has come; and passes by; and now is gone... "

The rains that have been hitting the northeast are still falling. Word is that the weather is supposed to improve precipitation-wise later this afternoon, but in it's wake is the cold air that brings on the changing of the colors in full force. Little wonder this is my favorite time of the year.

THE CREATIVE DRIVE

One of the advantages of having insomnia is being able to work for hours on end when the drive to create is alive. The downside is having to stay awake for a couple of days and have no inspiration at all. Tonight is not the case. Because I haven't gotten all my supplies yet to really dive into the Haiku paintings, and wanting to do a pseudo-woodblock print using the spongy rubber material to carve on - tonight will be devoted to that woodblock cut.

Today's blog is devoted to a 3M vinyl "stained glass" painting done back in 1999 around Christmas time. I named it the Christmas Rose and will probably include it in my Haiku set as a vignette unless I find a Haiku that it can compliment. It's really too detailed to assign it to a Haiku so let's just say if I do include it, it'll be only as a decoration.

AN UPDATE ON PREVIOUS POST

I did some more work on the fish (still no Haiku for it) and came up with this finished study. The thought process for this seemingly simple illustration was more laborous than any of the others shown so far. The fruit of this labor is that it won't take me more than a day to translate it over to 3M vinyl. Now I'm off to the studio to work on some more ideas to show on tomorrow's blog.

SOME UNFINISHED BUSINESS

"Summer night, even the stars seem to Whisper." I liked this Haiku very much being an avid star-gazer. I like the bottom portion of this illustration but am still not happy with the design I made for the two galaxies. Will continue with some other ideas and repost what changes I made. With all these night time illustrations I've been doing I'm starting to think that the title for this book should be "Haiku for Vampires".

This one I did late last night and was happy to get back into a more simplistic form of cut-out work. There will be some clean up time spent on it of course, but the gist of the painting is already formed. And guess what? There is no Haiku for the illustration although I do believe I've read one about a fish swimming around some rocks. Will have to find it as it's so much easier for me to illustrate these Haiku than to write 'em.

A COUPLE OF POSSIBILITIES

I might be wrong in my selection for the orange color for the plain in the top illustration, but in reading the Haiku itself maybe something as final as the color orange might be the only color suitable. The poem reads "Standing in ruins on the desolate plain, the monastery gates alone remain". I'm not sure but I don't think any other color, compositionally or esthetically would work in place of that orange. Any suggestions?
Can't remember the exact Haiku for this illustration - having to remind myself to bring my notes along to validate these Photoshop studies. I do remember it had something to do with someone sitting alone in their room and spotted an umbrella zip by the window. I'm sure the Haiku was more interesting than my poor interpretation of it. As for the moment I have three other studies I started yesterday to finish up today. May as well strike while the iron is red hot.

THE BRIDGE IS STILL HALF FINISHED

Althought the bridge is still half-finshed in the above study, I think I finally completed that master study for the painting. It's not quite as busy as the first attempt and is simplified enough, or I hope it is, to hold up to the Haiku concept. If not then I'll still use it in a large oil or even acrylic. I thought I'd make a sort of joke out the composition as if to say, which is the half finished bridge... the actual bridge itself or the tree only reaching half-way across the stream. I'm satisfied with the way it turned out and hope it pleases one or two of my blogger buddies out there. Many more of the same to come in future blogs.

LATEST STUDY

Until my supplies arrive I have nothing else to do but design future Haiku illustrations like the one above. I don't have my notes in front of me for the actual poem itself but it goes something like 'Walking down the country road I sense that something is following me." As already witnessed, I'm not a skillful writer of Haiku poetry. However, with this illustration I have made a sort of stained glass effect without having actually designed it for stained glass.

WHERE'S THE DRIVER??

The ocean has always fascinated me as well as beautifully built boats. How something so seemingly fragile as the little craft I set sail in this painting mastered the power of the sea is almost... biblical. Maybe I should name the ocean Goliath.

The sea is always an interesting subject as it can be interpreted as effectively in abstract as well as graphic, realistic, or impressionistic. Designing the water in it's many moods can be a rewarding challenge.

STAINED GLASS HAIKU

This was simply a painting I did with the 3M vinyl cut-outs with no other thought than illustrating the boy Jesus playing with fire flies, like any other boy his age. I'm sure in one of the Haiku books I have there's something about fire flies or lightning bugs as we call 'em out here in Maryland.

It's another personal favorite painting of mine that I wanted to share. If any Haiku comes to mind about this illustration and the blinking bugs please send it my way.

WINTER IS ACOMIN'

I finished off these two studies last night for the latest addition to the Winter section of my Haiku paintings. I think the bridge might be a little too detailed and even too busy to be a Haiku illustration, so more work might be done to that. The Moon study is just about right. It's stark, desolate, even the house is bowing to the power of the cold moon.

You might notice that the chop at the bottom of the bridge study is the Chinese character for Winter with my own chop below it: the Crow. I was going to use the crow as the symbol for Autumn, then changed my mind thinking that the coal black of the bird silhouetted against the starkness of the white snow would be more esthetic. Now I have to find a new symbol for Autumn. Could it be a sparrow??

SO YOU LIKE MATISSE?

Isn't it odd that someone who works in the same way that Matisse did never cared much for his work? I'm not saying he wasn't a great artist and won't say it, either. There must have been something of esthetic worth to his stuff otherwise his name would not be immortal. So whether my stuff looks as if it were influenced by Matisse or not, the technique works very well with the art of Haiku.

Today I received my Sumi writing set in the mail along with 8 imported Chinese chops (rubber stamps) to add to my collection. I hope to put something together tonight where I get to use both brush and stamp. If not tonight, then sometime this week.

STORY TIME

The following story seems to have nothing to do with the illustration to the right, and yet somehow it does. Think of it as a setting for a wedding.

A young man was summoned by his father, the king. The young man was of age and as was the tradition of all royal families, the father had picked out a bride for him. However, the son could either accept or reject the bride selected him. They brought the future bride into a viewing chamber where the boy could see her for the first and only time. He fell head over heals in love with her.

The father then set him down and had their father to son talk. "This bride I've selected for you was the most beautiful of all the brides available. However, she has a very bad side to her. She will denounce you, beat you, betray you, spit on you, she will embarrass you in public and bring great shame to our family. I thought you might know this before you make your decision."

The young man thought about what his father said and made up his mind immediately. "Father, I find this bride you've selected for me as perfect and I love her. I do wish to marry and cherish her throughout eternity."

"So be it." said the father as he rose from his throne. He raised his arms then declared,
"LET THERE BE LIGHT!"

A parable by St John of the Cross

TWO MORE FROM THE ARCHIVES

I was always fond of these two Haiku studies I did with the Adobe Photoshop program. Always a lover of trees, they tend to replace people in my more serious works to emphasize drama or emotion. And what is a more fitting symbol of solitude than a house in the middle of nowhere? As for the Haiku with the snow, can you guess which snowflake is calling out "I'm here"?

MY FIRST AND LAST HAIKU ATTEMPT

Having read and studied many Haiku poems over the past few years it was inevitable that I try my hand at the artform. I did this black ink on white rice paper more as an attempt at Chinese calligraphy more than doing a serious Haiku. As the poem was meant to be a joke in the Japanese poet Issa's style, I only hope it doesn't offend anyone. I also wanted to use the Chinese word for "roach" as the victim of the haiku, but couldn't find that word anywhere. Anyway, I hope I came close to the proper characters for this poem. Even if I didn't, what I have chosen makes for a nice design, but I'll leave that observation up to the people I've posted this for.

As for the poem itself, it's a self-depreciating ode to the fact that I am the world's worse cook. I have no talent at all in the kitchen and that's a fact... just ask anyone who has unwillingly subjected themselves to my culinary experiments.
The Haiku reads:

DIE RAT!
IN THE RESTAURANT OF ROLAND -
DIE