http://makinostudios.com art that connects Thu, 23 Nov 2017 17:49:32 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://makinostudios.com/after-the-fires-a-time-to-give-thanks/ http://makinostudios.com/after-the-fires-a-time-to-give-thanks/#comments Thu, 23 Nov 2017 17:47:15 +0000 http://makinostudios.com/?p=2389 When I was 15, our family moved to the small town of Redwood Valley, north of Ukiah. My mother and sister Yoshi still live in the A-frame house we built there, on a few acres covered with oak and manzanita chaparral, above a valley checkered with vineyards. On October 9, with the devastating wine country fires igniting across several counties, this rural community was badly hit: nine people were killed, including a teenage brother and sister. More than 300 homes were lost. Driving through Read more]]> http://makinostudios.com/after-the-fires-a-time-to-give-thanks/feed/ 0 http://makinostudios.com/for-better-or-for-worse/ http://makinostudios.com/for-better-or-for-worse/#comments Fri, 17 Nov 2017 00:27:27 +0000 http://makinostudios.com/?p=2361 Once upon a time, at a Halloween party in Humboldt County, a tall and lean sea captain crossed paths with a slinky black cat. He asked if they had met before. They hadn’t, but she noticed the warmth and humor in his eyes, so she teased him about the tiny slice of pie on his plate (“Are you on a diet or something?”). That was 26 years ago this month. Since then, most everything that is good in my life has flowed from that fateful meeting: the delightful kids we’ve raised, the beautiful Read more]]> http://makinostudios.com/for-better-or-for-worse/feed/ 0 http://makinostudios.com/in-times-of-trouble/ http://makinostudios.com/in-times-of-trouble/#comments Wed, 04 Oct 2017 15:30:18 +0000 http://makinostudios.com/?p=2341 The news has been so tough these past few weeks. Wildfires, hurricanes, flooding, earthquakes. Reckless taunts between nuclear-armed leaders. And Monday in Las Vegas, one of the worst mass shootings in US history. aftermath a pair of cowboy boots lying on their side In such dark times, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. And just as easy to go numb. Facing an unending stream of suffering and horror, how do we maintain our humanity without losing our minds? There are no easy answers for Read more]]> http://makinostudios.com/in-times-of-trouble/feed/ 3 http://makinostudios.com/the-seeds-of-inspiration/ http://makinostudios.com/the-seeds-of-inspiration/#comments Fri, 15 Sep 2017 06:11:31 +0000 http://makinostudios.com/?p=2325 People often ask me where I get my inspiration. I tell them that for writing haiku, it could be literally anything I experience. For instance, getting out of jury duty and going from the courthouse to the beach: sprung  from jury duty the wind in my hair But for paintings, 90% of my ideas come from one place: nature. Whether hiking through sand dunes or exploring Arcata’s marsh and bird sanctuary, I find that spending time out in nature is a wellspring of creative ideas. My family Read more]]> http://makinostudios.com/the-seeds-of-inspiration/feed/ 0 http://makinostudios.com/a-life-well-lived/ http://makinostudios.com/a-life-well-lived/#comments Fri, 01 Sep 2017 01:39:21 +0000 http://makinostudios.com/?p=2312 My pioneering great-aunt, Helli Stehle, died in Basel, Switzerland this past Sunday at age 109. As I described in “A trail-blazing woman” last November, she was a well-known stage actor who then became Switzerland’s first female newscaster, serving as a mentor and role model to many younger journalists. She was a spirited, smart and funny woman, generous and deeply loyal to her extended family. We miss her already. But what a full life she got to lead! The end of her reign as Read more]]> http://makinostudios.com/a-life-well-lived/feed/ 0 http://makinostudios.com/the-other-end-of-the-paintbrush/ http://makinostudios.com/the-other-end-of-the-paintbrush/#comments Wed, 21 Jun 2017 03:34:37 +0000 http://makinostudios.com/?p=2283 Humboldt County is famous for two things: its magical old-growth redwood forests and perhaps equally magical marijuana. But there is a lesser-known feature that makes this area unique: it has more working artists per capita than any other part of California. Each year in June, some 150 Humboldt artists open their studio doors to the public as part of North Coast Open Studios. Earlier this month, it was my pleasure to be part of the "Seven in Samoa" group that hosted visitors the first Read more]]> http://makinostudios.com/the-other-end-of-the-paintbrush/feed/ 4 http://makinostudios.com/celebrating-haiku-poetry-day/ http://makinostudios.com/celebrating-haiku-poetry-day/#comments Mon, 17 Apr 2017 16:42:33 +0000 http://makinostudios.com/?p=2260 Popping up in the middle of National Poetry Month, today is International Haiku Poetry Day. To mark the occasion, here is a smorgasbord of haiku I’ve published this past year. Enjoy! gentle rain I remind my mother to buckle up tendrils of fog I follow a thread back into the dream understory no punctuation in her text message beach vacation every night between the sheets a little more sand sunlit pond the cattails chirping thin ice the windshield crack lengthens Indian Read more]]> http://makinostudios.com/celebrating-haiku-poetry-day/feed/ 0 http://makinostudios.com/resistance-is-fertile/ http://makinostudios.com/resistance-is-fertile/#comments Tue, 04 Apr 2017 00:16:57 +0000 http://makinostudios.com/?p=2237 It seems like an eon ago when I last wrote, in the final days of the Obama presidency. I was anxious about putting my political opinions out in this forum, not knowing how many others shared my views about the dark turn our democracy has taken. I needn't have worried. Aside from four unsubscribes, the response I got was overwhelmingly positive. And nationwide, starting with the Women’s Marches that drew a remarkable 1% of the US population to the streets, the resistance to the Trump agenda Read more]]> http://makinostudios.com/resistance-is-fertile/feed/ 0 http://makinostudios.com/light-in-a-time-of-darkness/ http://makinostudios.com/light-in-a-time-of-darkness/#comments Mon, 16 Jan 2017 06:57:48 +0000 http://makinostudios.com/?p=2198 For years, I’ve been content to live a quiet life in the woods with my family—writing, painting, soaking in the hot tub and going for long walks on the beach. In retrospect, because it seemed that the country was basically going in the right direction, I took our beautiful, messy, multicultural democracy for granted. November’s election results were a shocking illustration that our democratic system is much more fragile than we realized. To many of us, the worst of it was not the denial Read more]]> http://makinostudios.com/light-in-a-time-of-darkness/feed/ 4 http://makinostudios.com/a-trail-blazing-woman/ http://makinostudios.com/a-trail-blazing-woman/#comments Wed, 30 Nov 2016 04:47:38 +0000 http://makinostudios.com/?p=2156 Today I mailed this “wise owl” card to my great-aunt for her 109th birthday. No, that is not a typo. Helene “Helli” Stehle was born to a butcher and his wife on December 6, 1907, in Basel, Switzerland. But longevity is by no means the most remarkable thing about Helli. This pioneering woman first achieved fame in Switzerland as a stage actor playing strong characters. She has always been a vibrant, strong-willed woman with a great zest for life, so I can imagine how riveting her performances Read more]]> http://makinostudios.com/a-trail-blazing-woman/feed/ 2