Johnette Downing Art
Traditionally, in Japan, haiga refers to a combination of haiku (“hai”) and painting (“ga”). Today, for some, haiga has expanded to combine haiku with other forms of visual art and even photography.
I began playing around with cut-paper collage in 1990 to illustrate my poetry, songs and children’s books. Recently, I created what I call “haiku boxes,” haiku and cut-paper collage on canvas frames, as well as broadsides and a chapbook using haiku and photography. The possibilities are endless.