Times-Standard
Eureka, California
Oct. 31, 2014
EUREKA – Arcata artists Annette Makino and Amy Uyeki are teaming up for a show called “Ripples from a Stone” at the Adorni Center through November. Both artists will display artworks that combine images with haiku and other words.
“The show takes its name from the idea that we all influence each other in surprising and unpredictable ways,” Makino said. “For instance, Amy’s grandmother, whom I never met, was instrumental in launching my life path as an artist and poet.”
Uyeki’s grandmother, Shizue Harada, wrote haiku and its wry, funny cousin, senryu. Her poems reflected her life as a Japanese immigrant who came to the United States in the 1920s in an arranged marriage.
“I got an instant visual from her poetry,” Uyeki, a mixed media artist, recalled. Her grandmother’s poignant and humorous poems inspired Uyeki to create a number of art pieces. She used varied techniques including pastel drawings, oil paintings, wood block prints and monotypes.
Uyeki and her mother eventually worked together to publish a book of Harada’s poems combined with these artworks. The book is titled Sanae, Senryu Poet: Her Life in 5-7-5. Four years ago, Uyeki gave a copy of this book to her longtime friend Annette Makino as a birthday gift.
“That little book was transformative for me,” Makino said. “It opened my eyes to the possibilities of haiku and senryu to share insights and tell mini-stories about real life. I also learned about haiga, the Japanese tradition of combining paintings with haiku, which inspired me to launch a new career as an artist.”
Based on her paintings of sumi ink and watercolors that include haiku and other words, Makino now has a growing line of prints, cards and calendars sold through her art business, Makino Studios. These are offered at 18 Humboldt County stores and will be available all month during the Adorni Center show.
Recently reprinted by Bug Press in Arcata, Uyeki’s book will also be available for sale at the show and can be ordered online (www.amyuyeki.com).
“To me, what’s exciting in both haiku/senryu and the artwork is that they are so sparse and oblique that they can be interpreted in many different ways,” Uyeki said. “I hope my interpretations won’t be the only ones. Viewers can go in their own direction—and that will be another ripple from the stone.”
The Adorni Center is located at 1011 Waterfront Drive in Eureka. Although there will not be an opening reception, the show can be viewed now through the end of November when the center is open: Monday-Friday 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Coincidentally, artist Diana Lynn is featuring a haiku by Makino in an interactive installation called “Impermanent Marks” running through the month of November. Opening at the Black Faun Gallery at 120 Second Street in Old Town Eureka on Saturday for Arts Alive! from 6 to 10 p.m., the show invites visitors to write or paint with water on large “Buddha board” scrolls.
For more information, call 707-362-6644.