:The challenge for FFFC this month was to compose a haiku: Haiku (俳句, haikai verse?) About this sound listen (help·info), plural haiku, is a form of Japanese poetry, consisting of 17 moras (or on), in three phrases of 5, 7, and 5 moras respectively.[1] Although haiku are often stated to have 17 syllables,[2] this is inaccurate as syllables and moras are not the same. Haiku typically contain a kigo (seasonal reference), and a kireji (cutting word).[3] In Japanese, haiku are traditionally printed in a single vertical line and tend to take aspects of the natural world as their subject matter, while haiku in English often appear in three lines to parallel the three phrases of Japanese haiku and may deal with any subject matter.[4] Previously called hokku, haiku was given its current name by the Japanese writer Masaoka Shiki at the end of the 19th century.
Golden leaves shimmer
Posed against an azure sky
Rot and make new life
The composing of the haiku was very difficult for me as I had never written poetry. Japanese haiku differs from the typical rhyme poetry that most of us are familiar with.
It took me two days to come up with the haiku. During that time we had a Hickory Nut tree in our yard that was displaying beautiful golden leaves. In the morning the rising sun made this tree glow. I had been admiring it during my time to sit and have coffee, while over-looking the lake in the morning.
Since a haiku is suppose to depict a Season and Fall is full upon us here in SC, I chose the golden leaves to be my subject.
I've been experimenting with blending photographs in PhotoShope Elements recently and decided to use this method to create my piece. I chose a photo of a single maple leaf posed against an azure sky and blended it with a maple tree just putting forth new leaves. (I will soon post a tutorial of how to blend two photos in PhotoShop). I chose the yellow leaf to show the golden leaves and the tree just sprouting leaves to show new life.
After I made the adjustments I wanted in PhotoShop, I decided to use white satin fabric to print the photograph. I chose satin to depict the shimmer of light playing on the leaf. I decided that anything more than following the lines of the leaf and tree for quilting would distract from the piece.
The finished piece ended up 7" x 7". When I make a piece that small I like to mat and frame the piece as I think that makes or a nicer wall hanging. I had the mat made and wrote my haiku on the mat. I don't have very pretty handwriting so I've decided to print the poem on card stock and have a mat cut to fit the fabric piece and another hole to put the haiku behind.
One of the challenges of FFFC is to finish a piece within a week. That is one of the reasons I decided to join the online group. I take many months to finish a piece and felt that I needed the discipline of starting and finishing a piece within a time frame.
More later.
No comments:
Post a Comment