Ukiah Daily Journal
Ukiah, California
January 31, 2013

UKIAH, CA — A mother and her two adult daughters are teaming up for a combined exhibit of their art at the Corner Gallery in Ukiah starting Tuesday, January 29. “Clay, Straw, Paper,” a show by Erika, Yoshi and Annette Makino, marks the first time these three artists will show their work together.

Redwood Valley artist Erika B. Makino will show recent clay sculptures; her daughter Yoshi, also of Redwood Valley, will exhibit mixed media paintings; and Erika’s daughter Annette will show Japanese ink paintings combined with original haiku. There will be an opening reception during the First Fridays Art Walk on Friday, Feb. 1, from 5 to 8 p.m.

Many of Erika Makino’s clay sculptures depict animals or people with their pets, represented in simple, semi-abstract shapes that strip the subject down to its essence.

“Research has shown that people who spend time with animals experience lower blood pressure, reduced stress hormones and a greater sense of peace,” Makino said. “We have domesticated and bonded with animals for eons. What fascinates me is the idea that animals in turn have made us more human.”

Another of Erika Makino’s sculptural themes is people playing musical instruments. She also creates large outdoor sculptures. The most recent of these, a cement grouping called “Honoring Our Animal Companions,” is situated next to the Senior Center on Leslie Street in Ukiah.

Yoshi Makino is a trained artist who has worked in a variety of media. A Ukiahi graduate, she has a BFA in photography from the California College of Arts in San Francisco and an MFA in Studio Art from the University of California at Irvine.

Her current body of work draws from her experience in the field of natural building as a professional plasterer for straw bale homes around Northern California. She uses natural plaster mixed from clay, lime, sand, straw and pigment as the primary material in creating abstract framed “paintings.” Her unique work uses these elemental materials to explore geometrical forms such as the circle and the spiral.

“I’m interested in the myriad ways that the golden section and the Fibonacci sequence are reflected in patterns of nature, from ripples in water to the spiral structure of galaxies,” Yoshi Makino said. “I hope my art demonstrates the rich variety in the colors and textures of earth plaster, as well as the beauty and elegance of nature’s geometry.”

A Ukiahi graduate now living in Arcata, Annette Makino is a writer and artist who writes haiku, making Japanese ink paintings that incorporate her poems. Her pieces are typically painted with sumi ink and watercolor on rice paper using bamboo brushes. Her topics include the quirky ways of dogs, the delights and absurdities of love and family, the challenges of growing older, and insights of the heart.

“I’m really excited to show work together with my mom and sister,” she said. “Although we use very different materials and approaches, I think visitors will sense some commonalities. We are all working in ancient, natural mediums, and we all have a simple but elegant aesthetic. Also, my mother and I both like to depict animals, and there is a sense of playful humor in our work; my mother and sister share a love of smooth three-dimensional forms and of the qualities of earth.”

Some of Annette Makino’s haiku greeting cards are available locally at Mendocino Book Company and the Ukiah Co-op. There is an online gallery of her work at www.makinostudios.com.

Erika Makino, 84, has always encouraged her three daughters to make art. A third daughter, Yuri Makino, is also a creative professional. She is an independent filmmaker and professor of film production at the University of Arizona in Tucson.

“Clay, Straw, Paper” runs Jan. 29 to Feb. 23. The Corner Gallery is located at 201 South State Street in Ukiah. Gallery hours are Tuesday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.