Working...

Collect,

combine, define, compose,

discard, cover and peel.

Stop,

look, mark, cut,

refine, paste and press.

Focus,

shift, touch, observe,

decide...accept beauty.

- Joan Schulze 1999

The Haiku Series

In 1998, I began a series of collages using fabric, paper and metal leafing. I also used photocopy processes that I had been developing. Each collage began 8" x 8" on a 11" x 11" paper base. Usually I finished each one by adding machine stitched lines for emphasis. I matted each collage to show an image of 6" x 61/2". This was a temporary presentation which retained the possibility of showing the whole collage, rough edges and all at a later date.

I thought of each collage as a visual poem relating to Haiku, a written Japanese poetry form which consists of three lines totaling 17 syllables. These collages became my visual haiku. I focused on the compositions and experimented with processes, finding new ways of improvising with my preselected materials. It was pleasurable to use favorite painted and dyed scraps from my large quilts, pieces that were "too good" to throw away.

In the process of producing my book, The Art of Joan Schulze, my publisher suggested a limited edition which would include a small piece of art in a presentation box. Once I had produced a large body of work, we based a chapter in my book on these Haikus. From these images, I chose five from the series to be reproduced as digital pigment prints. This led me into the world of art presses, scanning, digital output, reproduction possibilities and finally limited editions. These prints are amazing in their fidelity to the original work especially after I embellished each one with more metal leafing and machine stitching.

- Joan Schulze, July 1999