calendar

The more things change

“The more things change” is 8x10, made of washi and found papers, acrylic paint, and adhesive on illustration board. It is available as a greeting card or notecard set reading ”may peace prevail on earth.” The haiku version appears in my 2021 calend…

“The more things change” is 8x10, made of washi and found papers, acrylic paint, and adhesive on illustration board. It is available as a greeting card or notecard set reading ”may peace prevail on earth.” The haiku version appears in my 2021 calendar. © Annette Makino 2020.

Heavy snowflakes were falling as our taxi pulled up to the traditional Japanese inn. The snow took us by surprise—having packed light, I had only a rain coat and Dansko clogs—but it was magical. 

It was March 2012 and my sisters and I were visiting the town of Takayama on a trip through Japan following our father’s funeral. After an emotional couple of days and a five-hour train ride, we arrived in this preserved Edo-period town still in mourning and feeling disoriented. 

The tiny, warm-hearted innkeeper showed us to our room, which had tatami floors and rice paper screens. Through falling snow, there was a view of the river below. She served us foamy matcha tea and sweets at a kotatsu, a low table covered with a wool blanket that had a heater underneath, so we could tuck our legs under it for warmth. 

Walking to the river afterwards, we came upon a bright red bridge heaped with snow, in a scene straight out of 17th century Japan. At a restaurant just across the river, we ate the local specialty of hoba miso: miso paste spread on a magnolia leaf, grilled at the table on a small hibachi together with tender Hida beef and mountain vegetables. Delicious.

The serenity of our surroundings gradually seeped into our pores. Although we had never been there before, it all felt deeply familiar, perhaps from our childhood months of living with our Japanese grandparents in their traditional home in Takasaki, in Gunma prefecture.

At an intense time in our lives, the heart-expanding beauty of this place was deeply healing. I tried to capture the otherworldly quality of our visit to Takayama in a collage, above. 

the more things change
raindrops slowing
into snow

Wishing you joy and peace this holiday season.

Makino Studios News

2021 mini-calendar: My calendars of art and haiku are almost sold out, but I am reprinting them and will have more next week! Some are available online now and in select local stores. They feature 12 of my new collages with original haiku. 

Made in Humboldt fair: I’ve just restocked my calendars, small prints and boxed notecards at the “Made in Humboldt” event at Pierson Garden Shop in Eureka, CA, open through Tuesday, Dec. 24. This is the only fair where you can find my work this season. 

A silver lining

“long before language” is 8 x 10, made of paper, acrylic paint, and adhesive on illustration board. It is available as a greeting card reading “may all good things come your way.” The haiku version appears in my 2021 calendar. © Annette Makino 2020.…

“long before language” is 8 x 10, made of paper, acrylic paint, and adhesive on illustration board. It is available as a greeting card reading “may all good things come your way.” The haiku version appears in my 2021 calendar. © Annette Makino 2020. 

We made it through the election—whew! Now back to our regularly scheduled pandemic anxiety. Today I’m happy to share with you this really nice article about the new artistic direction I’ve been developing during this strange time, written by Heather Shelton for the Eureka Times-Standard.

A ‘silver lining’: Amid the pandemic, a local artist finds a whole new artistic approach (Nov. 13, 2020)

Makino Studios News

Porad Haiku Award: During the recent Seabeck Haiku Getaway, I was excited to learn that out of 663 haiku from 14 countries, this one-line haiku of mine won first prize in the Porad Haiku Contest:

long before language the S of the river

You can read all the winning haiku along with the judge’s thoughtful commentary on the Haiku Northwest site. 

Holiday notecards: I’ve produced boxed sets of holiday notecards as well as a landscape set. There are eight cards and eight kraft envelopes per box.

2021 mini-calendar: My new calendars of art and haiku are now available online and in select local stores. They feature 12 of my new collages with original haiku. Buy one for yourself and a few for holiday gifts!

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

Free shipping: I offer free first-class shipping on US retail orders of $35 or more. Use code FREESHIP35 at checkout.

Sneak preview of the new collage collection

“fog becoming redwoods” is 8 x 10, made of paper, acrylic paint, and adhesive on illustration board. © Annette Makino 2020.

“fog becoming redwoods” is 8 x 10, made of paper, acrylic paint, and adhesive on illustration board. © Annette Makino 2020.

First of all, I want to thank everyone who responded to my last post (Big Changes in the Studio), where I shared my new artistic direction creating Japanese-inspired collages. I was genuinely uncertain whether this big shift in style and technique would appeal to my longtime fans and customers. 

But based on your enthusiastic responses, I have gone ahead and designed a line of fifteen new greeting cards based on my collages. These new cards should be back from the printer on Monday. To sneak a peek at the new collection, see this page of all my Makino Studios card designs. I’m excited to share my new designs for the holidays, birthdays, sympathy and more.

I’m also very happy about my new 2021 calendar of art and haiku. This is my eighth year of producing these—and my favorite yet. Arriving next week, these mini-calendars feature a dozen of my new collages along with original haiku.

I’m not able to do any in-person holiday fairs this year, and some of my retailers are seeing reduced sales during this pandemic. Consequently, I have printed 100 fewer calendars than usual. So order soon to be sure to get enough for yourself and for holiday gifts!

My collages, using discarded materials such as old letters and canceled checks as well as hand-painted washi papers, may be a fitting medium for this strange, disjointed time. In adapting to the pandemic, we are all having to gather bits and pieces from our old lives, then transform and rearrange them in unexpected ways. 

Please let me know your thoughts on the new collection, and enjoy! 

“what remains” is 8 x 10, made of paper, acrylic paint, and adhesive on illustration board. © Annette Makino 2020. The haiku was originally published in With Cherries On Top, Press Here (2012).

“what remains” is 8 x 10, made of paper, acrylic paint, and adhesive on illustration board. © Annette Makino 2020. The haiku was originally published in With Cherries On Top, Press Here (2012).

Makino Studios News

Seabeck Haiku Getaway: I will be giving a reading of my haiku and presenting my new collage haiga (art with haiku) at this annual gathering, which is being held on Zoom this year. This free event takes place Oct. 31-Nov. 1. Registration is full but you can sign up for the Seabeck waiting list; the organizers hope to make room for more participants.

Made in Humboldt fair: You can find my calendars, prints and boxed notecards at the “Made in Humboldt” event at Pierson Garden Shop in Eureka, CA from Tuesday, Nov. 10 through Tuesday, Dec. 24. This will be the only fair where you can find my work this season, as the annual holiday fairs at the Arcata Community Center and Redwood Acres are canceled. My cards and calendars are also available in select stores.

2020 vision

Well, this past year was a pretty dark time for our planet. As Dave Barry writes, “It was a year so eventful that every time another asteroid whizzed past the Earth, barely avoiding a collision that would have destroyed human civilization, we were not 100 percent certain it was good news.”

Holidazed and confused

Happy holidays! It’s been very busy around here. We’ve been remodeling our kitchen since September—so long, peeling 1994 formica! I’ve also been helping our son with college applications, planning for a couple of trade shows next month, filling holiday orders, and rehearsing for concerts with my choir—all while my husband and helpmate has been sidelined by a back injury.

So we don’t yet have a Christmas tree, nor have I done my holiday shopping. But last week I finally managed to heave our Halloween pumpkin into the woods, so there’s that!

If your holiday season has been as full of hustle and bustle as mine, you might appreciate some ideas for meaningful gifts. Makino Studios is offering free shipping on US online orders of $20 or more thru Sunday, Dec. 16 with promo code JOYFUL2018.

Humboldt folks, you can find these featured items and more at the Makino Studios booth at the Holiday Craft Market in the Arcata Community Center this coming weekend (10-5 Saturday and 10-4 Sunday). I hope to see you there.

Whether the holidays have got you merry and bright or dazed and confused, here’s wishing you all the best of the season!

warmly, Annette

P.S. My 2019 calendars, boxed notecards and small prints are also available at the Pierson’s Made in Humboldt fair thru Dec. 24.