What is Haiga?
Today we have the opportunity to take beautiful digital photos and to add a text directly to the image. These two ingredients allow us to experiment with an early art form known as haiga. Traditionally haiga is a Japanese invention combining a sumi-e (inkbrush image) and a three line haiku or a five line tanka poem, hand-lettered on the same paper. The art lies in the subtle relationship between the two.
The painting, drawing, or photo, is not simply an illustration of the poem, nor is the poem a caption for the picture. Each element should stand alone yet suggest a deeper and more complex meaning to the total work.
Today’s internet capabilities allow contemporary haiga (photo-poetry) to expand into exciting new realms. Drawings, paintings, or photos, may be presented with little or no adjustment, or they may be manipulated until the original is nearly unrecognizable. Photographs can be used as a starting point and the poem may be hand lettered, scanned or pasted onto the image, or applied directly using the software font capability. Through haiga, the old and new are blended into a unique multimedia artistic experience.
Enjoy creating your own haiga.
Mary, I enjoyed reading your collection of short stories. My very favorites were: A Pearl of Great Price, Place of the Dead Homes, and Landscapes Remembered. All seven of them were the perfect length for reading at bedtime, so that I was able to read each story in one sitting. You’ve inspired me to keep writing short stories along side of other writing. Short stories are making a comeback via the internet. I can see why.
Blessings ~ Wendy ❀
Wendy, Thank you for purchasing my book and leaving your very positive comment. I’m pleased that you enjoyed these stories. The short story is making a come back through the internet, as is the novella – as opposed to the very long novel. Keep writing your stories as they can be made into an attractive eBook that can be shared with others.