Project Hai-Q

I have said on many occasions that my great fortune in this life is being surrounded by more goodness than I know what to do with. Friends, family, colleagues, mentors – people who genuinely care for me and with whom I have developed valuable, ongoing relationships – have helped me survive and thrive over half a century. My gratitude to them is boundless. So, as I approached my fiftieth birthday this year, I tried to think of a way to celebrate those who have helped me become the person I am today.

In 2023, I began painting postcards inspired by Japanese ‘sumi-e’ style brushwork and making a list of fifty people I’ve known during my lifetime who have inspired, influenced, or otherwise shaped me. Once my cards were completed, I began writing hai-Q that represented each of these people, with the goal of sending the cards out during 2024.

I’ve chosen to incorporate some of the elements of traditional haiku in the poems. That is, I use a 5-7-5 syllable pattern, and I’ve made reference to nature or seasons. Each hai-Q has been thoughtfully composed to reflect the lesson or impression that its recipient has gifted me. In some cases, the artwork reflects the poem, and in others, it reflects other aspects of the person to whom it is addressed.

It should be noted that I have excluded my immediate family from this project, as I have other ways of honoring those relationships. I also had difficulty selecting the fifty recipients, and this group is by no means exhaustive or exclusive.

Finally, this is a project that comes from the heart. I don’t consider myself gifted as a visual artist or a poet. My hope is that the hai-Q recipients will overlook the flaws in my creation and cherish these cards for what they are: a small, tangible representation of the deep appreciation I feel toward them.