A TASTE OF HAIGA
introducing the work of Jerry Dreesen
by Carrie Berry

Most of you are familiar with haiku, the poetic art form that came into huge popularity in the 17th century, affording the population with a new and different way to capture the moment, more specifically one of the author's perception of nature.

We do love all of our senses to be involved when we capture the moment and it was only a matter of time before early haiku was combined with art to create the form of haiga (haiku pictures).

As any student will have been taught at some point in their education, there is more to haiku than stringing together 17 syllables in three lines of 5, 7 and 5 syllables respectively. We don't have the space or expertise to get into that here, but it is worth looking into when you have the time.

There are similar imperatives to consider when working with haiga. In his book Haiku Painting (Kodansha International, Tokyo/New York/San Francisco,1982), Leon Zolbrod says that haiga are characterized by ‘restraint in pigmentation, free and flowing line work, and elimination of unnecessary detail. There is often a light or frivolous touch suggestive of irony or amusement, even when the subject of the painting is serious’.

In the modern haiga created by Jerry Dreesen and his contemporaries, we may find themes that transcend the Zen simplicity of the early masters, but the essence is still there. We hope you will enjoy the works presented on these pages.

The haiga images illustrating the print version of CRY FOR US, TOO and sampled in the online showcase over the next three months represent only a portion of Jerry's collection of modern American haiga. When you have finished enjoying them here, I urge you to visit Jerry’s website and art blog so you can view his other work including some of his collaborative efforts with photographers. In this issue we have focused on the works including Jerry’s own verse with his art, but on his website you will also find several excellent samples of Jerry’s illustrations of haiku masters such as Basho and Issa.

© Carrie Berry 2005

Jerry Dreesen (jerrydreesen@yahoo.com) has been writing poetry for more than forty years. Since retirement, he has discovered the challenging world of haiku and the art of haiga, the blending of art and haiku into one art form.

To see the rest of his work, including many experimental images, multimedia effects, abstractions and oriental-style watercolors, visit his website at
http://www.jerrydreesen.com and his blog at
http://jerrydreesen.blogspot.com.
Jerry also edits the Modern Haiga section of
Simply Haiku: an e-Journal of Haiku and Related Forms.

All haiga and watercolour art shown on these pages © Jerry Dreesen 2005

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