Poster Image
$20
Item#: 2010SYR09
Purchase Details
11x17-inches, printed on heavy weight (100-pound) Hammermill cover paper. We package each print with a piece of chipboard in a clear plastic sleeve.
You also receive…
An information page with photos of the artist and poet, and hand-written comments from each.
Medium- and large-format posters are available by custom order. Contact us for details.
Poem Inspiration Location
White Trilliums Light
poster information
Description
White trilliums light
the dark forest floor glowing
ghostly like spilled stars
This haiku was inspired by early spring walks on the wooded trails around Beaver Lake. Some years, my timing has been just right, and I've arrived when the trilliums were in full bloom. Most have three white petals, through a few, called Wake-Robins, are a deep red. There's a startling contrast between the dark, wet forest floor and the bright white of trilliums which grow in great numbers there.
I like the art of haiku because the form is so concentrated. Every word, every syllable, every sound, matters. Just a few words can conjure up the richness of an experience.
This was the first poem I noticed, even after trying others, I just kept coming back to this one. Each word of the piece is so striking and full of imagery. It reminds me of Oakwood Cemetery, which is a beautiful place with a lot of life growing among the headstones. I like to take walks there because it's one of the best places around to see the stars.
When I began the concept sketches, I knew that to capture the right colors and contrast I had to use oils. Night scenes can always be difficult, but I really worked at perfecting the light coming through the trees. My original idea was to have the words spilling from the stars, but I found that placing them at the base of the painting was the best balance between the words and the image.