When I saw these little 2"x2"x.5" canvases at Michaels Arts and Crafts, I couldn't resist them, even though I had no idea what I'd do with them.
During my Haiku-a-Day in December, one of my brainstorming pages had these rich 5-syllable opposites: eventually/in the nick of time and truth abandons them/we discover truth. I added two different concrete 7-syllable lines, and realized that by mixing and matching, my 9 phrases could make multiple haikus.
I got out my watercolor colored pencils and made up this set for my brother for Christmas. He had sent me Jane Reichhold's WRITING AND ENJOYING HAIKU: A HANDS-ON GUIDE for my birthday, so it seemed like an appropriate gift. (I'm not all the way through Reichhold's book yet, but I'm loving it!)
Here's to the joy of creating art with words and visuals!
Tabatha has the Poetry Friday roundup this week at The Opposite of Indifference.
How clever! I love the idea of multiple haikus. Great job! Lucky brother!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness. I love this so much I can hardly stand it. What a generous gift of beautiful words and art. And Mary Lee! This week I was in a principal's office and saw something you would like. He has an old candy vending machine. When I asked why, he said that the school wasn't using it anymore, and so they said he could have it. It's one of those with the clear glass levers that you pull to get the candy - like an old cigarette machine. Anyway, he'd known an art teacher who had one once - she filled it with tiny canvases (like yours) of student artwork, sold it in the machine, and used the money to fund part of her program! Now I want a machine. We could make HAIKU MACHINES! xx
ReplyDeleteOY! A Haiku Machine! Flea Markets, here I come, looking for an old-time vending machine!!
DeleteI love this recombinant haiku idea sooooo much!! And combined with the artwork? Fantastic.
DeleteAlso, what a fun idea to have a vending machine filled with poems (or anything artistic...) Hmmm.
How wonderful! From the words to the art to the gift to the old time vending machine...love how you've been feeding your creative spirit. Inspiring! xo
ReplyDeleteI am not an artist (as you will see from my poem today) but I adore this!
ReplyDeleteThis is so cool! What a wonderful gift for your brother. Thanks for sharing it with us too.
ReplyDeleteI love the combination of words and art--and I was already in my mind shuffling the tiles to create new haiku. The possibilities are mind-blowing!
ReplyDeleteVery cool, very creative!
ReplyDeleteI love this, Mary Lee, and so thoughtful for your brother's gift, too. I have a set of "poetry blocks", so your canvases remind me that one could make "poetry canvases" for mixing and matching as you did. Such a creative idea! And I love what you did on each canvas, too!
ReplyDeleteBoy, I clearly need to get to Michael's. This is such a FUN project. I can see making a block of six or eight and then changing their order as the season or the week strikes... how fun! What a splendid gift!
ReplyDeleteWhat a totally cool idea! I like the idea of a vending machine too. When I first saw the photos, I thought these were boomf marshmallows instead of canvases. Guess I'm just food crazy.
ReplyDeleteI LOVED my hai-kubes! A very thoughtful gift from a very dear friend!
ReplyDeleteSo much YES to art/poetry combos and creative vending machines!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea! You could put magnets on the back too, and make illustrated fridge poetry. I am going to look for something like this for my kitchen. My brother gave me a Michael's gift card....
ReplyDeleteI love this! So, so beautiful. Thank you for sharing your brilliance!
ReplyDeleteSuch a clever idea, Mary Lee. I've seen these canvases, but hadn't thought to fill them with haiku. Happy New Year! =)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea, and a very special gift, Mary Lee. Now you have me thinking about what we can do with this idea in my classroom!
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh creative in every way!!!
ReplyDeleteMary Lee, your gift of words and art are so beautifully rendered. I am intrigued by your idea.
ReplyDeleteSo much to love about this, Mary Lee! You've got us all thinking in possibilities. :)
ReplyDeleteOh golly--I make a practice not to read others' comments before my own, but as I scrolled down I glimpsed Amy's: "I love this so much I can hardly stand it!" and that is exactly what I was shouting inside my morning head! It's like magnetic poetry only...."feelier," wordier, mysterier. Can I copy can I copy can I copy IN MY CLASSROOM?
ReplyDeleteThank you all for your enthusiasms and cheers! I look forward to seeing how you take this little idea and try it/morph it/use it with kids. Be sure you come back and tell YOUR story of words+art.
ReplyDeleteAnd if anybody finds a vending machine, let's raise money for a Poetry Friday Meet-up!!
What if the classroom made one (or three) out of scrap or cardboard, sort of like Caine's Arcade? What if the "currency" was tokens of appreciation for kindness or courage offered by others who have noticed? Just thinking...
DeleteThese are amazing, Mary Lee! I just looked at similar tiny canvases at JoAnn a few weeks ago and wondered...and now I see something beautiful to create with them. Bookmarking this for future trial--thanks!
ReplyDeleteMary Lee, I love this idea -- Haiku! Art! Mini-Canvas! Happiness! :)
ReplyDeletePlanning to share it with my homeschool circle. Thank you!
"Make your own haiku" - love it!
ReplyDeleteThis is an amazingly creative idea! What a treasured gift! I can see kids doing this! I'm sharing with my colleague, art teacher!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea, Mary Lee! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI love this idea! We were inspired to get some canvases this weekend : ) Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThis is brilliant, Mary Lee! You are such an inspiration!
ReplyDeleteSo cool! My brain is racing, what fabulous ideas! And I'm all for raising money for a PF meet up. :)
ReplyDeleteHow fun, and just look what you've stirred up, Mary Lee! Great gift from your brother, too - have you wandered around Jane R's resource-filled website? It's http://www.ahapoetry.com/
ReplyDeleteYour gift has become our gift! Please thank your very perceptive brother! He knows you well. God bless you!
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of a mix-and-match set of haikus! And will have to check out the haiku-how-to.
ReplyDeleteI love this, Mary Lee! It's a haiku puzzle.
ReplyDeleteLucky brother!