What a difference calligraphy and a seal can make

Do you remember this painting? When I first posted it I said that the calligraphy was missing and that I should work on it. It was a rather tricky one and I have no idea whether it is readable or not, but what a difference it makes! Adding the calligraphy and the seal seem to have completely transformed the initial painting. And if I decide to mount it, it will look different again. I love that with chinese painting: your painting isn't completely finished until it is mounted. It's as if your painting evolves between those various stages...


The haiku is by Tomiyasu Fusei and reads
'I love the rest of my life,
Though it is transitory,
Like a light azure morning glory'













I do apologise for the poor quality of the photo.. it is quite appalling!
Maybe those two will give a better idea of what I mean (although here the only difference is the seal...)

Morning glory

'I love the rest of my life
Though it is transitory
Like a light azure morning glory'

...well, I still don't really 'get' haikus, but this one gave me a good opportunity to paint some morning glory. Again, the calligraphy is really missing and I will have to work on it (it is a very tricky one as well...)

More haiga

'Against the bright full moon
A hilltop pine tree
Is the image of my rebirth'










'Toddling orphan sparrow,
Come and play!
I'm always your playmate'














'Butterfly in my hand
As if it were a spirit
Unearthly, insubstantial'

A new challenge

As I so much enjoyed illustrating haikus, I decided to set up a challenge for myself. I bought the following haiku book, and decided to illustrate them... maybe not all of them, but I intend to do most of them, little by little...
I have done three so far, and all of them are 'originals'...

Haiku - Haiga

Before the summer holidays in 2008, my art teacher gave us an assignment… I might be too academic, but as far as drawing/painting is concerned, I have always enjoyed assignments. That’s probably why I find it so difficult to get motivated to paint when I am on my own. I do have a lot of imagination, but when it comes to translate this imagination on a canvas or piece of paper… I can’t. So having an assignment somehow forces me to get started.

The assignment was to pick a haiku and illustrate it.

Hmmm… what’s a haiku? Well, I didn’t know at the time. A haiku is a form of Japanese poetry, consisting of 17 syllables.

And a haiga is basically an illustration of a haiku. Or, more precisely, according to Wikipedia: a haiga is a style of Japanese painting based on the aesthetics of haikai, from which haiku poetry derives, which often accompanied such poems in a single piece.

So here I was, flicking through a haiku book, searching for inspiration. I finally found one, which was something like

‘Having cut the peony that evening, I felt distressed’

And here is what I came up with – it might not be great, but I love it because this exercise forced me to be creative rather than just trying my best to copy something.
The calligraphy and the seal are still missing. I am working on it!