Sunday, June 9, 2013

St Mary's Catholic School Haiku Workshop at Janet Keen's Art Studio and Mosaic Garden, Rotorua New Zealand.

Haiku written by pupils of St Mary's Catholic School during their visit to my mosaic garden and art studio.

fantails
fantails
singing in the garden
autumn breeze
Louise

peace
peace is life or death
believe, be alive to laugh and cry
life hurts and can comfort
Harrison
                                                                     the studio
                                           the studio smells great
                                           a room filled with ideas
                                           creativity
                                                                     Hozanna

                                                                          chickens
                                                                        rushing for bread
                                                wintery days
                                                hungry, noisy birds
                                                Oliver


                                                            footprints
                                             giant keas
                                             footprints down the path
                                             bigger than mine
                                             Emma-Sue
                                         
                                                              
                                                               skull head
                                                              lonely and sad
                                                              nobody cares about me
                                                               i just lie around
                                                                Michaela

                                                               studio
                                            shining mosaics
                                            different types of artwork
                                            thoughtful creations
                                            Danicca 
                                                           imagination
                                                           creative things around me
                                                           just like being bathed in it
                                                            i love it all
                                         Kate
     
goldfish
goldfish in a pond
swimming back and forth
dancing under raindrops
Emily

                                                               
colourful mosaics
colourful mosaics
hanging in trees
inspire me

red, orange, yellow, green, blue
big, tall, large or small
any of Janet's mosaics the best you see

roses, owls, seahorses
sharks, wild and styled
all look beautiful to me
Ashleigh

garden
the garden once alive
winter had taken over
some plants had died
Janna 

nature
autumn breeze blows
through bare branches
birds sing over noise of wind
                                                                        Caitlin

nature
birds singing peacefully
breeze brushes through my hair
flowers bloom, expecting the unexpected
Joseph 

mosaics
harmonious colours
covered in a frost blanket
lost with inspiration
Orla


 The Story
On Thursday 7th June at 11am, Assistant Principal of St Mary's Catholic School, Mrs Anne Cato came for a visit with fourteen of her enrichment pupils to explore my garden and to gather information for a series of haiku.

Haiku are simple, three lined poems, originally of Japanese derivation.
They are usually about nature and are meditative moments in time.



We went for a walk down to the sunken garden and fed the fourteen Bantam chickens and their mother who have adopted me, at least when there's food around.


Autumn is flowing into winter in the sunken garden so it was a good time to be writing haiku



The chickens were  down here but you can't see them, they proved to be camera shy.
Some of the children had cameras and i-pads to record moments in the garden.

We went up the steps from the sunken garden to the Japanese Peace garden and had another photo session



We asked the  pupils to take note of their surroundings and to breathe in moments that could contribute towards their haiku.




I took shots of people relaxing in the garden and asked them to think about what they could see, touch, hear, and smell



We next went into the studio and the children were given a brief  lesson about haiku as they ate their lunch.
 I showed them some of my haiku and  photography and read them some haiku by other poets.

Everyone was busy  

 and quiet with concentration and were encouraged to write more than one haiku.



I put some lavender essential oil around the studio and played some classical music to help them feel peaceful.
It is useful to have a calm, open mind when writing haiku.  

Ideas were freely flowing.


 Some people sat together on the couch, writing and in some cases sketching small pictures of  mosaics they liked.


Mrs Cato helped them and took some photos of her own.
I went out with my camera and took shots of each pupil beside a mosaic or item in the garden or studio they liked and which in some cases related to their haiku 



Orla presented to me, on behalf of St Mary's with one of the most beautifully illustrated books I have seen called The Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg, a card and a gift card to buy some apps for my i-pad.

 I am going to use this with my after school art pupils as inspiration, the blurb at the back says,
"Even the most reluctant imagination, when confronted by these drawings , will not be able to resist solving the mysteries of Harris Burdick"

I gave everyone a magic marble which is designed to be a good luck charm and something for them to remember the creative, precious moments we all had for the couple of hours we spent together.




 

All too soon  
                                      it was time to say goodbye.

Some of the pupils expressed an interest in coming back to make  some art.
This may happen towards the end of the year if there is time.

Thank you to  Mrs Anne Cato for being so well organised and inspirational, she and her pupils  from St Mary's Catholic School were a pleasure to have in my classroom/studio.

                                               The End
Creative Quote of the day
All my pupils are the creme de la creme. Give me  children of an impressionable age, and they are mine for life.
Muriel Spark


After school Art , craft mosaic and creativity classes for gifted pupils.
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday 3.30pm to 5.00pm
$25.00 per pupil, per hour including, artist grade materials.
All pupils have their individual programmes to suit their tastes and needs.
Pupils asked to complete drawings in a visual diary for home play which go towards a book at the end of the year.
Small classes, well behaved, focused and genuinely interested pupils of all ages are welcome.
Hurry limited places are available.

Phone  Janet 346-3435
txt 0273513887
emailjkeen@clear.net.nz


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