Marit's Paper World (blog)

Marit's Paper World (blog)

  • Home
  • Top 2000 blog party
  • Quirky Dutch Summer
  • Website

Tanka, mail-art and gelli-plate technique

January 25, 2019 By Marit 5 Comments

OUCHHH!!!! It is Friday and I had all sorts of creative plans for today, but last night I made a wrong move somehow and strained my back… now I sit at my desk wobbling on the chair like an old little lady and will have to find activities with which I don’t have to move that much. It might be a day to visit old blogfriends and leave some comments here and there…

Last week it was freezing cold in The Netherlands, we even had a little bit of snow! I stayed inside, playing in my atelier, but my friend Lena of course took her camera outside and made beautiful photos. When I saw this photo of a frozen Blackberry bush, I wrote a tanka with it. (“The Tanka poem is very similar to haiku but Tanka poems have more syllables (5-7-5-7-7) and it uses simile, metaphor and personification.)

Today, my Fiday haiku is a Tanka…

Photo made by my friend Lena Schreijenberg

Bevroren braamstruik
IJskristallen schitteren
in de vroege zon

Hebben de wortels weet van
dat oude bijbel verhaal?

Early sunrise on
a frozen blackberry bush
Ice crystals sparkle

Do you think the roots know of
that ancient bible story?

I submit this tanka to Recuerda Mi Corazon where our lovely hostess Rebecca brings us all together to share a haiku on Friday: Haiku my Heart.

Remember I told you last week that a friend of mine – who is a textile artist – and I agreed on starting a project together? I finished my piece and send it to her, and as an extra I made her this quirky collage-card.

Well-behaved women

The text in the ‘dress’ is in Dutch but you probably heard it before… it’s quite a famous quote: “Women are angels and when someone breaks our wings we continue to fly… on a broomstick.”

A new (to me) gelli-plate printing technique

I stumbled upon a youtube video from Gelli Arts® where Birgit Koopsen shows a resist-technique using magazines on a gelli plate. I got all excited about it and tried out this technique right away… here’s my first results.

I need to experiment some more (and my back says ‘No, not today!’) but I can already think of many ways to use these kind of images in my art journals in the future. If you want to know how this technique works CLICK HERE

I wish you all a beautiful weekend, go do something nice.
Don’t hurt your back!

Filed Under: art, Haiku, Mail Art Tagged With: collage, gelli plate, mail art, poetry, tanka

Comments

  1. Mark says

    January 25, 2019 at 5:33 pm

    I think roots know much more than we give them credit for!

    Reply
  2. A ShutterBug Explores says

    January 25, 2019 at 11:27 pm

    Such beautiful art work and wonderful tanka ~ ^_^

    Happy Day to you,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

    Reply
  3. Lea says

    January 25, 2019 at 11:43 pm

    Hello Merit! Love your Tanka, thank you! I do believe the roots know… I also love seeing your artmaking. Your piece that you made for me is still on my bookshelf, where I see it and think of you every day!
    As I write this, your Friday is almost complete and I hope you are resting and healing. Thank you for the color and connection and creativity you share in our Fridays together my friend! Have a beautiful weekend!

    Reply
  4. gillena says

    January 27, 2019 at 9:27 pm

    This is a lovely tanka Marit. happy Sunday. I have some haiku Fridge magnets. If you are interested in swapping as mail art, Let me know. Email me and I will send you my postal address

    haikuchallange.gc@gmail.com

    much love…

    Reply
  5. Rebecca says

    February 1, 2019 at 1:15 am

    thank you for your wonderful art work and sharing this wonderful link!!! you have me swimming in ideas as i try to quiet my mind for the next haiku. thank you for making the world a beautiful place of sharing and inspiration.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

FacebookInstagramE-mailRSS Feed

My art can be found in galleries on my website.
Unless otherwise stated, all photos, images, thoughts and stories on the website as well as on this blog are my own (Marit Barentsen aka Marit's Paper World.) If you see something you want to share, please link back to my site to give credit where credit is due. If you have questions about using my work, please contact me. Thank you!

Categories

Archives

Old blog

To my old blog: nov. 2008 - dec. 2010

Copyright © 2025 · Marit's Paper World ·