thread of light

I’m not quite sure why I’m suddenly getting very elongated photos from my camera, but in this case it seemed to echo the mullioned windows so I’m going with it! We were away for Easter and the photograph was taken at Gainsborough Old Hall (near Lincoln). It’s a mediaeval manor house, billed as a hidden gem, although I have a good friend who lives in Gainsborough so I’ve visited it before. Anyway, this post isn’t about that, it’s a quick apology for not having posted much recently, and a quiet celebration of some lovely work that has caught my eye online – Bill Water’s ‘fairy doors’ and Marianne Paul’s collage haiga:

by Bill Waters

by Marianne Paul

Marianne’s poem is published on the Tinywords website and it appealed to me because I love collecting bits of unusual paper (I have a carrier bag full upstairs). I’ve done a bit of collage, but always thought of it as separate to haiku. Having seen her work, I feel inspired to do something similar, although I’m well aware that there’s a huge amount of time gone into her piece – it’s not just the making, it’s the thinking behind it. These days I’m wary of setting myself up to do something I don’t have time to achieve! Still, her work will stay lodged in my head until the right time comes along.
Similarly with Bill Water’s work, I can see there’s a good deal of time spent not only on the crafting of the fairy doors, and the haiku that go with them, but also positioning them, finding the right space/ environment/ backdrop (call it what you will). Bill has many poems on public display and I like the generosity of that.
Both of these pieces seem to have a playfulness about them. ‘Playful’ is a word that is often applied to art, suggesting some sort of trick, or in joke, but I think in this instance, it’s in the creative process itself; the fun that was had in the making shines through.
Well, time’s up. I promised myself I’d do this post quickly – it’s Saturday morning, there’s a week’s worth of washing to hang out, some spider plants to pot, a guitar to be played and a dog to be walked. Happy days!