Hot off the press!

I've been busy in the studio, and I'm happy to share that my 2024 mini-calendars of art and haiku are now available! There are also a couple of new vinyl dog and cat stickers. And I've brought back two beloved holiday notecard sets, plus there are eight more notecard designs to choose from. 

As ever, I also offer single cards for birthdays, holidays and more. You can view all current designs and other products in the Makino Studios shop. Shipping is free for orders of $35 and up; just enter promo code FREESHIP35 at checkout. Happy autumn! 

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P.S. The Made in Humboldt Fair at Pierson Garden Shop in Eureka, CA runs Nov. 7 through Dec. 24. I will have books, prints, stickers, calendars, and notecard sets there.

P.P.S. The Arcata Holiday Craft Market takes place Dec. 9-10 at the Arcata Community Center. Look for the Makino Studios booth on the lefthand side of the main room.

P.P.P.S. I'm excited to attend the Seabeck Haiku Getaway Oct. 26-29 in Seabeck, WA, where I will give a short haiku reading and have some haiku books and calendars for sale.

sale

SALE! 2024 mini-calendar of art and haiku - Japanese-inspired collage

Sale Price:$6.00 Original Price:$12.00

joy and peace fox holiday notecards - snow pine landscape

$20.00

contented cat sticker

$4.00

wild places notecard set - Northern California scenes

$20.00

playful dog sticker

$4.00

In memory of Misha

“the jingle” is 11x14, painted with Japanese watercolors and sumi ink and watercolor paper. © Annette Makino 2019

Our family had to say goodbye to our beloved rescue dog Misha a few weeks ago. He was at least sixteen and a half years old, and his little body just wore out.

Long ago, I became his person and he became my sidekick and muse, inspiring all sorts of art and haiku. He gave me the unconditional love that only a dog can provide, and losing him has been even harder than I expected.

But after a month of grieving, the pain of Misha’s difficult last weeks and his passing is giving way to memories of his many good years. In processing the loss, I browsed through literally hundreds of photos of him. There he is trotting down a leafy trail, racing along the ocean, snuggling with my kids. After his traumatic puppyhood, we gave him a great life.

Misha, we miss you deeply, but we’re grateful we got fifteen years with you. May your spirit run free on the beach forever.

Following is a haibun about Misha from my 2021 book, Water and Stone. (Haibun are prose pieces with haiku.)

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Lost and Found

The dog is supposed to be for my eleven-year-old. Searching online for a hypoallergenic breed, she finds a small white poodle-bichon mix listed by an animal rescue group. One hot summer afternoon, we pick him up from his foster mom in the parking lot of a Sacramento gas station.

Scrawny and shaved almost to the skin, with huge brown eyes, Misha attaches himself to us right away. My daughter falls head over heels, saying, “I love him so much that sometimes I just have to laugh to let it out—I feel like I’ll burst if I don’t.”

Misha has had a hard run. It seems he was lost or abandoned somewhere near the Mojave Desert. When picked up and taken to the San Bernardino pound some weeks earlier, he was emaciated, filthy, matted, and suffering from giardia. He had dog bite marks on his head and shoulders and an infected cut almost completely encircling his neck. But it turns out his deepest wounds are emotional.

thrift store puzzle
the holes
you can never fill

Misha was happiest when the whole pack was together. RIP Misha Makino. Born est. 2006 or 2007. Died June 28, 2023.

In our first days and months together, we learn that Misha has severe separation anxiety. When left alone, he claws his way through screen doors, digs under gates and fences, chews through leashes, and scratches up doorframes and floorboards, all in desperate attempts to find us. He is determined he will never again be abandoned.

We watch dog-training videos, read dog books, and discuss the problem with Misha’s vet. But through tough love, Misha trains us to take him everywhere. And as anyone could have predicted, I end up taking over his care from my daughter.

home from errands—
a hero’s welcome
from the dog

Despite Misha’s issues and all his trauma, he turns out to be a very sweet fellow who brings a lot of comedy and laughter into our home. He is pushing fifteen now—105 in dog years—and going blind and deaf. But “His Dogship” still makes sure we get our daily walks at the beach, along the river, or through the woods. And for short bursts, he can zoom around like a puppy, barking at us to try and tag him.

Again and again, I tap his rump as he zooms past. Again and again, I claim him.

the jingle
of the dog’s tags
wild currant in bloom

(“Lost and Found” is from Water and Stone: Ten Years of Art and Haiku; Annette Makino; Makino Studios; 2021. The included haiku were previously published in Modern Haiku, tinywords, Four Hundred and Two Snails: Haiku Society of America Members' Anthology 2018 and The Heron’s Nest.)

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Makino Studios News

“bright eyes” is 11x14, painted with sumi ink on rice paper. © Annette Makino 2011

Playful dog sticker: To celebrate Misha’s life, I am planning to create a sticker from an early sumi ink painting of Misha in a playful stance. I’m away on a creative retreat this week without good wifi, but please let me know if you’re interested in ordering one and I’ll tell you know when they’re ready. Cost will be around $4-5.

Sunkist Festival: I’ll have a booth at this small and sweet fair on Sunday, August 6 from 11 to 5. Besides arts and crafts, the festival will feature wood-fired pizzas and other goodies plus live music. 135 Sunkist Lane, off Glendale in McKinleyville, CA, near the Blue Lake Murphy’s Market.

Obon Festival: Organized by Humboldt Asian Pacific Islanders in Solidarity (HAPI), the Obon Festival will take place on Sunday, August 13 at the Creamery District in Arcata, CA from 4 to 8 p.m. There will be taiko drumming, bon odori dancing, bento boxes, games for kids and vendors like me. (I’ve decided not to do the North Country Fair in September, so these two fairs are your best shot at catching my Makino Studios booth in the coming months.)

The Galápagos in haiku

“Enchanted Islands” is 11x14, created with oil paint, cold wax medium, rice paper and sumi ink on paper. © Annette Makino 2023

So my husband and I made a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Galápagos Islands last December. We had a truly magical week seeing blue-footed boobies, Galápagos penguins, land tortoises and sea lions, all unafraid of the gawking humans.

We kayaked through a lagoon with sea turtles, marine iguanas and rays. We snorkeled through lava tunnels with whitetip reef sharks and schools of brilliant tropical fish. And we hiked around a volcano crater, meeting a land iguana in the wild. I now understand why the place that Charles Darwin made famous is known as the Enchanted Islands.

As soon as we returned to mainland Ecuador, I came down with a nasty case of Covid. I had to spend the next week alone in a hotel room while my husband traveled around with our son, who spent fall semester there. (Fortunately for me, Uber Eats operates in Quito!)

Despite getting sick, I’m thankful that I got to the Galápagos, and am still processing the trip. Today I am sharing a recently published haiku sequence from that time. I hope this gives you a sense of the experience—without the cooties!

Galápagos 

Enchanted Islands
a sea turtle glides
along our kayak 

through the waves
without a narrator
marine iguana 

local character
a sea lion snoozes
on a park bench 

cumulus clouds 
flowing over the rim
cooled lava

luggage piled
on the boat taxi’s roof
frigate birds 

my breath
into thin air . . .
volcano fog

I would love to know hear what places are on your bucket list!

Publication credit: Frogpond, 46:2, Spring/Summer 2023

Sleeping sea lion spotted in Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island, the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador.

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Makino Studios News

Hello summer: Cards, notecard sets, books, prints—take 15% off everything in the store with your order of $15 or more thru 11:59 p.m. this Sunday, July 2. Enter code SUMMER15 at checkout. One code per order.

Sunkist Festival: This small and delightful fair, cancelled due to rain in May, has been rescheduled for Sunday, August 6, from 11 to 5. Besides arts and crafts booths, the festival will feature wood-fired pizzas and other goodies plus live music. 135 Sunkist Lane, off Glendale near the Blue Lake Murphy’s Market in McKinleyville, CA.

Obon Festival: Organized by Humboldt Asian Pacific Islanders in Solidarity (HAPI), the Obon Festival will take place on Sunday, August 13 at the Creamery District in Arcata, CA. There will be taiko drumming, bon odori dancing, bento boxes, games for kids and vendors like me. (I’ve decided not to do the North Country Fair in September, so these two fairs are your best shot at catching my Makino Studios booth in the coming months!)

Studio visits: If you can’t make it to the fairs, I am also happy to schedule a visit to my home studio located between Arcata and Blue Lake, CA.

Meanwhile: I’ve been working away on my art, experimenting with a new technique (oil and cold wax medium, as in the sea turtle piece above), and playing with more mixed media in my collages. In the coming months these will find their way into cards, calendars and eventually another book like Water and Stone!

A sampling of dog haiku for Haiku Poetry Day

“the family we choose” is 8x10, made of paper, acrylic paint and glue on board. © Annette Makino 2020

Today, April 17, is International Haiku Poetry Day! In celebration, I’m sharing a collection of haiku I’ve published over the years about a subject near and dear to my heart: dogs.

These poems were all inspired by our sweet, funny and neurotic poodle mix, Misha. At 16-plus years old, he is clearly declining and we don’t know how much longer he’ll be with us. So I want to celebrate him while he’s still around.

the jingle
of the dog’s tags
wild currant in bloom

bush after bush
the dog’s news feed
juicier than mine

Misha just relaxing at home.

open road
the dog’s ears
streaming

waning crescent
the dog re-checks
his food bowl

steady rain all night snoring from the dog bed

hunger moon
a descendent of wolves
licks our plates

wet black nose the simple things

constellations
one barking dog
sets off another

empty bowl
I explain daylight savings
to the dog

rhythm of rain
the dog curls tighter
in his sleep

campaign sign
the dog registers
his opinion

home from errands—
a hero’s welcome
from the dog

rolling thunder
the old dog
too deaf to panic

winter night
the dog crawls deeper
under the covers

lengthening shadows
I lift our old dog
into the back seat

the family we choose
he nudges his snout
under my hand

Happy Haiku Day from Misha and me!

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Makino Studios

Free shipping thru Sunday: In celebration of Haiku Poetry Day, I’m offering free shipping on the Makino Studios site through this Sunday, April 23, with no order minimum. Use code HAIKU2023 at checkout.

Sunkist Festival: This small and delightful fair takes place on Saturday, May 6, from 11 to 5. Formerly known as the Pizza and Pottery Festival, it will feature wood-fired pizzas and other goodies plus live music. In the garden at 135 Sunkist Lane, off Glendale near the Blue Lake Murphy’s Market in McKinleyville, CA.

Mother’s Day and graduation cards: Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 14 and graduation ceremonies are coming right up. I have several card designs for both occasions. You can browse all 70-plus designs here.

A New Resonance 13: I’m delighted to be one of the 17 haiku poets featured in this landmark series published by Red Moon Press. Featuring a wide variety of emerging voices in haiku, these books are now available to pre-order. I expect to receive my copies within a week or so and will ship orders as soon as possible.

Calendars: My last 2023 mini-calendars of art and haiku are now on sale for $6.99 (from $12).

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Publication credits:

2021 in art & haiku by Annette Makino
A Hundred Gourds
Four Hundred and Two Snails: Haiku Society of America Members' Anthology 2018
Frogpond
Haigaonline
Haiku News
Hedgerow
Modern Haiku
Notes from the Gean
Presence
Red Paper Parasols: 2022 Southern California Haiku Study Group Anthology
The Heron’s Nest
tinywords
ukiaHaiku Festival 2014, first place, General Adult
Wishbone Moon: An International Anthology of Haiku by Women

Thanks for 12 great years!

“the redwood path” is 11x14, made with acrylic paint, washi paper, silver foil and glue on cradled birch panel. It was inspired by a hike that went a little later than expected. © Annette Makino 2022

Gosh, so much has happened lately! In December alone, my husband Paul and I visited the Galapagos and mainland Ecuador, I finally caught Covid, I won a $10,000 Jacoby Award for Humboldt County artists, a violent earthquake damaged our house, and we hosted extended family for the holidays.

January brought a series of intense winter storms, repeatedly knocking out our power and water. We continued earthquake repairs and I tackled my dreaded year-end business accounting. In February we were treated to a very unusual event: several snowfalls right here on the coast! Meanwhile, I’ve been exploring new art techniques, writing and publishing haiku, and reorganizing my studio—while getting pounded by a fresh series of atmospheric rivers. I’m currently in Portland, Oregon, where I visited the serene Portland Japanese Garden and saw an inspiring show of Japanese woodblock prints.

I won’t go into detail on all that here—photos and more detail on most of these events can be found on my Instagram feed and the Makino Studios Facebook page. But this is just to say that although I’ve been bit preoccupied, I haven’t forgotten you, my friends and fans!

This Saturday, March 18, is the 12th anniversary of Makino Studios. What a privilege to have spent the past dozen years as a working artist, sharing my creativity with the world. In thanks for your ongoing support, I am offering 15% off everything in my shop. Use code 12YEARS at checkout through midnight this Sunday, March 19.

Who knows what new twists and turns the coming year will bring—tornadoes? zombies? I only know that I’m grateful to be able to walk the artist’s path.

the redwood path
absorbs our footsteps
moonlit ferns

Paul and I just casually hanging out with a Galápagos penguin, as one does.

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Makino Studios News

12th anniversary sale: Cards, prints, books, calendars—take 15% off everything in the shop except original art, using code 12YEARS at checkout. Offer ends at midnight this Sunday, March 19.

Pizza and Pottery Festival: Mark your calendar for 11-5 on Saturday, May 6, for this lovely small fair with wood-fired pizzas and other goodies plus live music. 135 Sunkist Lane, off Glendale near the Blue Lake Murphy’s Market.

Calendars: My last 2023 mini-calendars of art and haiku are now on sale for $6.99 (from $12). You’ve still got most of the year to enjoy one!

Skipping Stones: It’s always an honor to have a haiku selected for the Red Moon anthology of the best English-language haiku of the year. Here’s one of mine that made it into the 2022 edition:

Covid variant
another wave sucks the sand
from under our feet

(First published in Mariposa and in The Haiku Way to Healing: Illness, Injury and Pain)

A New Resonance 13: A longtime dream has finally come true: I've been chosen as one of the 17 haiku poets to be featured in this landmark series published by Red Moon Press. I will have copies available for sale in June, featuring a wide variety of emerging voices in haiku.

Big news from the back woods

tendrils of fog
I follow a thread
back into the dream

Featuring a Roosevelt elk in a misty lagoon, “tendrils of fog” is 11x14, made with acrylic paint, washi paper, book pages and glue on cradled birch panel. It is one of the ten work samples I submitted with my Jacoby Award application, and is part of my 2023 calendar.

The call came in from an unfamiliar number, and the voice on the other end said, “Hi, how are you doing this morning?” I immediately suspected a robocall and didn’t even answer, expecting the recorded script to continue by offering me an extended auto warranty or a low-interest loan. When the silence stretched out, I finally asked, sharply, “Who’s calling?”

That’s when the conversation took an unexpected turn. “This is Sydney from the Humboldt Area Foundation and Wild Rivers Community Foundation. I’m calling to tell you that you’ve won a $10,000 Victor Thomas Jacoby Award!”

Having been turned down twice before for this coveted and prestigious grant, I had not expected anything different from my latest application, so I was stunned. I managed an apology for my awkward initial response and gave profuse thanks. After I hung up, I broke out in celebratory wolf howls, confusing the dog.

The 2022 Jacoby Awards, which were announced today, honor Humboldt County artists for their vision and creativity. Winners are encouraged to explore new ideas, materials, techniques and mediums.

In my application, titled “Torn Together: Japanese-Inspired Collage with Haiku,” I explained my plans to make my collages more personal. Among other approaches, I aim to introduce more materials that have autobiographical significance like old letters, children’s drawings and family photos.

I concluded, “I can imagine how delicious it would feel to have permission to develop my art without financial pressures or expected outcomes. The grant would allow me to engage fully in joyful and curious exploration, to allow one idea to spark another. There’s no telling what can arise from creative play!”

“tendrils of fog” in process.

Winning this award really is a dream come true. The money is of course extremely welcome. But I also deeply appreciate the award as a form of recognition of my work as an artist. My thanks to the jury of local leaders in the arts, and congratulations to the other 2022 Jacoby Award recipients!

For years my husband Paul has joked about an imaginary JBYY Foundation that gives grants “Just Because You’re You.” With no reporting requirements or deliverables, the Jacoby grant is the closest thing I know to that fantasy. Deepest thanks to the late Victor Jacoby, a French tapestry artist, for his vision in establishing this trust to support his fellow Humboldt County artists. And I look forward to sharing what emerges.

P.S. I had an amazing time in the Galápagos Islands last week and am now writing to you from Quito, Ecuador! There is much to tell, but I’ll save that for another time. I do have someone filling orders while I’m traveling, so order away.

The haiku “tendrils of fog” was previously published in Frogpond and in On Down the Road: Haiku Society of America Members’ Anthology 2017.

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Here are a couple of inside pages from my 2023 calendar.

Makino Studios News

Free shipping through Saturday: Just for newsletter subscribers and followers, I’ve set up promo code JINGLE for free US shipping with no minimums through this Saturday, Dec. 17. The US Postal Service advises that for first-class packages to arrive by Dec. 25, they should be shipped by this Saturday. Enter the code at checkout.

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. There are 250 participating vendors, all local.

Calendars: 2023 mini-calendars of art and haiku make great gifts and the recipients will remember your thoughtfulness all year long!

Books: Water and Stone: Ten Years of Art and Haiku makes another meaningful present. The fourth printing includes excerpts from the gracious reviews and judges’ comments.

Cards: Holiday, birthday, sympathy or everyday… there is a Makino Studios card for every occasion. I also offer four different notecard sets.

On parenting and letting go

“kids all grown” is 8x10, made with acrylic paint, washi paper, book pages, a vintage Japanese letter and glue on cradled birch panel. It is part of my 2023 calendar, and is also available as a card reading, “you make the world a lovelier place.”

This week I am busy packing and preparing for our trip to Ecuador, including the Galápagos! My husband and I are meeting up with our son Gabriel as he completes a fascinating semester-long program in Development, Politics and Languages.

In Ecuador he has stayed with four different host families (two of them Indigenous), snorkeled in the Galápagos, bathed under a waterfall, explored the rain forest with a naturalist, helped out on a farm in the cloud forest, and made chocolate from scratch, roasting cacao pods over an open fire. Oh, and he has studied, of course! He is currently wrapping up a four-week independent study project on efforts to reintroduce native grains like quinoa and amaranth within a Quichua community.

It was hard to say goodbye to my beloved son last August—I worried about Covid, crime and car accidents, for starters. But I’m delighted that he’s having such a rich experience, and am looking forward to seeing the country through his eyes.

Really, once babyhood has passed, parenting is just a long process of letting go and trusting that you’ve taught your child the skills they need to be OK. We miss having our kids at home, but there is also great pleasure in seeing them stretch their wings—and in sharing a bit of their adventures. Here are some haiku on the empty nest stage of parenting.

driving lesson
he practices
leaving home

his absence
its own presence
childhood bedroom

her notes covered
with question marks
philosophy class

empty nest
our son’s old sweater
on the dog

semester abroad
she waves from the far side
of security

childless once more
the farthest ridge line
fades into blue

kids all grown
we train the sweet peas
up the trellis

I wish you all a happy and merry holiday season.

The above haiku first appeared in The Heron’s Nest, Frogpond, Presence, and Visiting the Wind: Haiku Society of America Members’ Anthology 2021

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Makino Studios News

Holiday sale on calendars: My 2023 mini-calendars of art and haiku are just $9.99 through midnight this coming Friday, Dec. 2 (normally $12). No code required—I just want to encourage you to order this week, before I leave town on Saturday! I will have someone filling orders while I’m gone, but shipping may be slower than usual.

Fourth printing of my book: I was down to just two copies of my award-winning book, Water and Stone: Ten Years of Art and Haiku. But thankfully, 150 more copies finally arrived yesterday! This fourth printing includes excerpts from the lovely reviews and judges’ comments.

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. There are 250 participating vendors, all local.

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

Cards: Holiday, birthday, sympathy or everyday… right now there are more than 70 Makino Studios card designs to choose from. I also have five different notecard sets, including two holiday designs (but act fast—one of them is almost sold out).

Art prints: Blake’s Books in McKinleyville and Humboldt’s Hometown Store in Ferndale both carry a selection of my matted art prints, ready for gifting. They are 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 Saturday, Dec. 17.