dreaming of drowning
battling the undertow
sink to the bottom
Drowning
Category: Poetry
original poetry written by Guila Greer
June Haiku Art: Waterfalls
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My theme for this month seems to be “change” – new directions, new resolve, fresh ideas.
I first thought that I would have to take a pass on the June Haiku project – so much else going on this month. But when presented with the prompt word: Waterways – I knew that I’d have to do something. The Haiku came pretty easily. Having grown up on the Great Lakes and steeped in the history and lore of the St. Lawrence Seaway I immediately thought of Niagara Falls. And a more recent Falls discovery – Minnehaha Falls.
Minnehaha Falls, Minneapolis, MN
I am currently working on a couple of water related quilt art projects and did not want to start another one right now. So I turned to another art form and designed and made Waterfall earrings. Our Haiku Art project can be in whatever form we wish.
Waterfalls the Haiku
cascading splendor
mists rising torrents swirling
mighty falls thunder
and the Art
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| Waterfalls |
Swarovski Crystals and Sterling Silver
A Soft Day in Ireland Haiku Art for May 2011
The prompt word this month is “soft”. Now this will be interesting to see – how many directions will the artists go with this word. The possibilities are endless.
This one didn’t require too much deliberation on my part. During a trip to Ireland a few years back I latched on to the phrase “soft Irish day”. It really captured my imagination.
It rains a lot in Ireland. Sometimes it rains hard; sometimes the rain settles over the earth like a misty blanket. They call this a “soft day”.
steady gentle rain
Irish hills shrouded in mist
another soft day
I used fairly vivid commercial quilt cottons for the stylized hills then couched the edges with decorative fibers. Then I quilted the whole thing with 40 wt. variegated cotton in shades of green.
I arranged a piece of tulle over the quilt and tacked it down with vintage buttons. Finally I topped it with a piece of lace (Irish lace?) .
another fun Haiku Art challenge
Sunshine March Haiku Art
>The March word is…………………Sunshine!
I am fascinated by the patterns made by sunshine as it is filtered through dense foliage. Below is the Haiku that I wrote and the image that came to mind. It is a photo that I took while visiting the massive old trees in the Armstrong Redwoods State Park in California.
Forest Canopy
Clefts in rain soaked branches
Sunbeams bursting through
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| Armstrong Redwoods State Park |
Faultlines of the Heart
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When presented with the February word: “love” I thought of many ways to go with it – parental, romantic, physical, familial – even love of music, nature and so on. But what I really wanted to deal with was loss of love – specifically loss of loved ones. When my Mom passed away last year I had to deal with the sadness of her loss plus the fact that she was the last one. Her passing followed my Dad’s (by many years) and my brother and sister’s deaths more recently. I reflected on how we all suffer loss of love – or loved ones – then have to face our publics as though everything was completely right in our world.
Here you have a heart that has been fractured into many pieces along the faultlines that were there all along. And floating over the pieces of the heart are a tangle of ribbons attempting to hide the tears underneath.
Here you have a heart that has been fractured into many pieces along the faultlines that were there all along. And floating over the pieces of the heart are a tangle of ribbons attempting to hide the tears underneath.
Letting go of love
Hot salty tears flow freely
Bruised battered heart cracks.
All the red “shards” combine to form one complete heart. The pieces have been attached to the background with a lot of heavy quilting. I used heavy cotton plus metallic. The ribbons are hand tacked. Under the ribbons are tear-shaped beads peeking out. I purposefully left the thread tails and frayed edges alone as they are part of the over all feeling that I wanted to generate.
Love is the Word
As promised we received our inspiration word for February late yesterday. The word is “love”. What else for the month of February? I have some ideas spinning around in my head already. They aren’t of the lacy heart variety. Stay tuned.
Hardy Rosebuds Thrive – January Haiku Art
My goal was to illustrate nature’s propensity to new beginnings in the face of adversity.
A secondary goal was to try some new creative techniques or materials.
Lutradur – burned edges, stamped and painted with pearl-ex
Angelina fibers – stamped
Rosebud photos printed on cotton, appliqued and thread painted.
Purchased leafy vine appliqued
Haiku printed on Extravorganza – edges fringed and painted
Scattered beads
Sheer tulle layered over the piece
Layered and quilted
Edges finished with zigzag stitch
Haiku Art – Prompt Word for January is Beginnings
The Challenge – Take the prompt word: Beginnings – Where do you go in your mind? Write a Haiku that is prompted by these thoughts. Create a piece of Art that represents the haiku. You can use whatever technique or medium that you like.
treacherous frost lurks
tender shoots defy the chill
hardy rosebuds thrive
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| Photo Art by Guila Greer |
Come take a look at all the beautiful art work on our blog: http://haikuart.blogspot.com
Eye of the Quilter Entries
>I’ve been doing this blogging thing all wrong – waiting until I have enough time to catch up. Yikes – at the rate it’s going that’ll be a long wait.
So – here we go – SHORT POSTS!!
I’m itching to get into the other room and sew but first…………here are the 2 photos that were accepted into the Eye of the Quilter exhibit in Houston.
| Title: | Putting It All Into Perspective | ||
| Statement: | Travelling east in late Summer 2009, I found myself not only enthralled by the scenery but somehow comforted. No matter what else fate may have in store, there will be sights to delight and inspire. |
| Title: | Still Glenwood, Still October |
| Statement: | I love Autumn and its glorious color but there is also a tinge of sadness at the edge of all the beauty. |
And here are the Haiku that will be in the Eye of the Quilter exhibit:
My 92 year old mother-in-law who has severe dementia was recently moved into a board and care from her beloved home of 40 years.
Betty’s Empty House
Her house sits empty
A fog of forgetfulness
Pushes out despair
I wrote this Haiku while I was recovering from foot surgery a couple of months ago. I had very strict instructions to keep the surgical area dry in order to avoid a horrible infection. Taped on plastic bags were useless so that meant SPONGE BATHS!
Post Op Lament
Sloppy sponge baths suck
I long for streams of water
Splashing on my head
Guila's Art & Other Assorted Joys 