The Haiku Foundation honors the work of contemporary masters of the dual art of haiga: visual image wedded to haiku. This month’s featured artist is Ion Codrescu.
Ion Codrescu lives in Constanţa, Romania. He teaches graphic arts in an art school and history of art at Ovidius University in Constanţa, as an associate professor. Art and poetry are two paths of his life. In 1992 he founded the Constanţa Haiku Society and the Albatross haiku journal, which he published as its editor for a decade. In 1992 and 1994 he organized the Constanţa International Haiku Festival. Between 2004 and 2007 he edited and published the international haiku journal Hermitage. In 2007 he received his Ph.D. in Visual Arts from the National University of Arts in Bucharest with a thesis on “Image and Text in Japanese and Western Haiga Painting.” He is the author of thirteen books of poetry, haiga and essays published in Romania, France, Great Britain, the Netherlands, and Slovenia. His poems, poetic prose and essays have received many prizes in Great Britain, Japan, Serbia and Montenegro, Romania, Bulgaria, France, and the USA, and have been published in 19 other countries. As an artist he has illustrated more than 100 books, magazines and journals. His paintings are housed in private and state collections (Setagaya Art Museum and Gunma Prefectural Museum, Japan) from many countries. All the works in this gallery were created for the book Something Out of Nothing: Original Haiku of North American Poets, Interpreted by Ion Codrescu (Winchester VA: Red Moon Press 2015, ISBN 978-1-936848-35-5).
Mary Frederick Ahearn — “roads lost”
Text: roads lost in drifting snow re-reading my old journals Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Mimi Ahern — “December evening”
Text: December evening she erases two more names from the address book Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Francine Banwarth — “the river freezes”
Text: the river freezes . . . silence is also an answer Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Janelle Barrera — “mockingbirds hush”
Text: mockingbirds hush leaving me a day to pass until evening song Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
David Boyer — “the sudden way”
Text: the sudden way spring peepers it all works out Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Marjorie Buettner — “after rain”
Text: after rain morning light liquid Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Allan Burns — “after the owl”
Text: after the owl an owl-shaped hole in the clouds Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Pris Campbell — “dragonfly”
Text: dragonfly — bearing the sun on its wings Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Matthew Caretti — “soup stirring”
Text: soup stirring the thought of not thinking Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Terry Ann Carter — “ferry crossing”
Text: ferry crossing she plays her cello for the gulls Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Margaret Chula — “not seeing it”
Text: not seeing it till darkness fills the pond — the white carp Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Elsa Colligan — “sea grasses”
Text: sea grasses the way they lean into the water Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Carlos Colón — “Zen concert”
Text: Zen concert my air guitar slightly out of tune Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Wanda Cook — “a hushed rustling”
Text: a hushed rustling of winter sea grass the secret she tells him Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Pamela Cooper — “hanging laundry”
Text: hanging laundry — my shadow blows away Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Cherie Hunter Day — “looking up”
Text: looking up rules of punctuation — the green hills Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Raffael de Gruttola — “frozen pond”
Text: frozen pond an oak leaf half in, half out Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Elehna de Sousa — “island meditation”
Text: island meditation — again and again the shriek of an eagle Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Kristen Deming — “dawn swim”
Text: dawn swim — making a butterfly of water of light Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Diane Descôteaux — “wind and blowing snow”
Text: wind and blowing snow this swirling up of white fields — the first of the year Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
George Dorsty — “winter twilight”
Text: winter twilight my veins turn a deeper blue Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
John J. Dunphy — “my Zen garden”
Text: my Zen garden a new sand pattern left by the neighbor’s cat Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
David Elliott — “winter solstice”
Text: winter solstice — letting the candle burn all the way down Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Robert Epstein — “raku moon”
Text: raku moon the cracks in everything let the light in Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Seren Fargo — “late thaw”
Text: late thaw — a hawk leans further toward its target Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Ignatius Fay — “headlights”
Text: headlights out of snowy darkness the last thing she said Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Bruce G. Feingold — “old enough”
Text: old enough just to listen trout rising Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Sylvia Forges-Ryan — “learning at last”
Text: learning at last how to let go dandelion puffs Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Terri L. French — “snow fall”
Text: snow fall . . . the click of knitting needles into the night Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Garry Gay — “seal voices”
Text: seal voices carry from the rocks . . . the fog Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Barry George — “gull’s cry”
Text: gull’s cry — my thoughts far inland, too Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Merrill Ann Gonzales — “sweeping snow”
Text: sweeping snow the path welcomes once again Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
William Hart — “cloud glutton”
Text: cloud glutton you swallow a mountain then fall asleep Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Gary Hotham — “the pond’s bottom”
Text: the pond’s bottom everything that sinks in water Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Louise Howerow — “wind gusting”
Text: wind gusting across the lake a loon’s tremolo Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Jeanne Jorgensen — “how gracefully”
Text: how gracefully the aged dancer skates alone this winter Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Jim Kacian — “time”
Text: time in the dark the longer Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Larry Kimmel — “in snow”
Text: in snow and stony silence, her name graven in granite Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
David Lanoue — “two glasses”
Text: two glasses of wine closer to softness Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Catherine J. S. Lee — “on crow calls”
Text: one crow calls and then another . . . morning fog Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Rebecca Lilly — “silence”
Text: silence behind the sound of wind over grasses — some gap in myself Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Greg Longenecker — “hazy moon”
Text: hazy moon she drifts in and out of my dreams Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Patricia J. Machmiller — “at the waterfall”
Text: at the waterfall sometimes I find an answer sometimes . . . the wind Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Carole MacRury — “mountain cabin”
Text: mountain cabin the moon and a mouse to welcome me Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Annette Makino — “solo hike”
Text: solo hike slowly catching up to myself Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Scott Mason — “backyard reverie”
Text: backyard reverie the expanding cosmos of watermelon seeds Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Ben Moeller-Gaa — “koi pond”
Text: koi pond removing the weight of my backpack Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Beverly Acuff Momoi — “always making”
Text: always making something out of nothing the brilliance of crows Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
k j munro — “two years past”
Text: two years past the earthquake tremors in her voice Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Elliot Nicely — “the silence”
Text: the silence that follows each of the first raindrops Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Nancy Nitrio — “approaching storm”
Text: approaching storm — the silver flash of turning pigeons Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Ellen Olinger — “after the stores”
Text: after the stores ornamental grasses in snow Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Marian Olson — “even clouds”
Text: even clouds touch and part I remind myself Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Renée Owen — “night cicadas”
Text: night cicadas all through the hours if only, if only Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
James Paulson — “leaves turning”
Text: leaves turning my heart tries out a new rhythm Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Bill Pauly — “a moth”
Text: a moth flies through my breath in moonlight Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Carol Purington — “winter solstice”
Text: winter solstice — the road narrows into one-way Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Edward J. Rielly — “empty bird’s nest”
Text: empty bird’s nest on the window sill of the old nursery Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Chad Lee Robinson — “darkening sky”
Text: darkening sky . . . horses gather the sound of thunder Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Michele Root-Bernstein — “sandpipers”
Text: sandpipers an answer short of the sea Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Ce Rosenow — “dipping swallow”
Text: dipping swallow in the curve of the foothill evening fog Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Dave Russo — “autumn rain”
Text: autumn rain so many ghosts dead and alive Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
John Russo — “old calendar”
Text: old calendar last year she was here Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Dan Schwerin — “dark matter”
Text: dark matter but consider the lilies Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Guy Simser — “choosing”
Text: choosing the artist’s ink colour crocus nib Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
John Stevenson — “November dusk”
Text: November dusk invitations from the crows Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Richard Stevenson — “driveway clear”
Text: driveway clear — a great horned owl calls my name Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
George Swede — “town dump”
Text: town dump I find a still- beating heart Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Angela Terry — “autumn morning”
Text: autumn morning the blackbird’s song lost in the tide Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Julie Warther — “sun-soaked chrysalis”
Text: sun-soaked chrysalis the effort no one sees Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Neal Whitman — “crescent moon”
Text: crescent moon from an open window a flute arabesque Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Billie Wilson — “an open book”
Text: an open book on the old porch swing — first fireflies Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)
Jeff Winke — “dark wind”
Text: dark wind obscures a full moon Media: ink on paper Size: 210 × 297 millimeters (8.27 × 11.69 inches)