Water and Stone: Ten Years of Art and Haiku

“With the publication of Water and Stone, Annette Makino takes her place among the leaders of haiku painting (haiga).” —Stephen Addiss, author of The Art of HaikuHonorable Mention, Haiku Society of America Merit Book Awards for 2022This beautiful book by award-winning haiku poet and artist Annette Makino provides a welcome dose of Zen wisdom and humor for our fractured world. Through vibrant paintings and evocative poems, Makino finds beauty and meaning in the everyday world, be it the rhythm of ocean waves, the bittersweet joys of parenting, or a traumatized rescue dog.Spanning a decade of painting and writing, Water and Stone features fifty haiga—artworks combined with haiku—painted with Japanese watercolors and sumi ink. Sprinkled throughout the collection are fifteen haibun—autobiographical prose pieces that include haiku. While deeply personal, these touch on universal themes such as the quest for meaningful work, finding love, raising a family, growing older, and considering our place in the world.By turns joyful and poignant, this full-color collection of Makino’s paintings and haiku is a treat for lovers of Japanese poetry and art. Reading Water and Stone lifts the spirit while helping to deepen awareness and appreciation of the present moment.Praise for Water and Stone“Since haiku has become the world’s most popular and practiced form of poetry, it should not be surprising that it has led to fascinating fusions with other arts. Adding to the spirit of the poem without trying to explain it in words is difficult, but when well done it offers a special combination of charm and depth. With the publication of Water and Stone, Annette Makino takes her place among the leaders of haiku painting (haiga).” —Stephen Addiss, author of The Art of Haiku“Water and Stone is a joyous kaleidoscope of color with deeply felt art and words. Stories captured in succinct moments and longer prose that resonate in the very best tradition of simplicity and brevity. Makino has produced a wonderful collection.” —Ron C. Moss, Haiga Editor of Contemporary Haibun Online “Annette Makino offers a rare combination of excellence in both art and haiku. Water and Stone celebrates selections of the best of her work over the past ten years, documenting an impressive flowering of her aesthetic commitment and deep, playful exploration of these arts.” —Michael Dylan Welch, founder of National Haiku Writing Month“Water and Stone is a wonderful book of haiku, haibun, and haiga. Makino’s personal artistic voice centers on haiga—in this collection watercolors in a unique style inspired by Japanese woodblock prints. Water and Stone is a reminder that the best haiku are about really seeing the small, obvious, or not-so-obvious things in daily life.” —Linda Papanicolaou, Editor of HaigaOnline Read more