Click on image to see vessels and translations.
Click on image to enlarge. Greg on the left, Dennis on the right. Still needed to finish making 4 more lids with Kanji symbols for the 4 additional months. Greenware ~6″x28″.
Every verse-vessel contains a different haiku poem with each vertical side of the triangular clay vessel representing a line of the poem. The poem starts on the panel that contains the Japanese symbol that is closest to the top. Each panel is read top to bottom and rotated counter-clockwise, as one reads the entire poem. Each vessel has a lid with a symbol representing one of the four seasons of the year. The lid’s color may vary from its triangular base depending on which firing method may have been used. Contained within the vessel is a rice paper scroll printed with the English translation of the Japanese haiku poem and an image of the clay vessel.
Currently, using haiku poems selected from my brother’s anthology of ~200 poems, these vessels are created only for commissions, and can be displayed as interior and/or exterior artwork. This ongoing project continues to evolve as I collaborate with my brother, Dennis (chibi) Holmes—a haiku poet.
All of these ceramic vessels are made of stoneware clay, fired to 2250-2419ºF and are approximately 24″ in height.