Commentary by Ron C. Moss

Haiga Showcase: Katja Fox

I’m very pleased to present Katja’s haiga here for the first time. I have admired her work since seeing it on social media, and you will see by this selection that she uses a variety of styles and media to create evocative blends of art and haiku.

under the golden light is a striking haiga with large, bold strokes of black and stunning balance of gold. This is a very impressionistic presentation, which works so well with the one-line haiku. We can see the shape of a cradle in the black ink and then lose ourselves in the connections of shape and form.

a baby girl is a very minimal haiga that works on every level. I love the way the red dots almost jump off the page and link beautifully with the mention of seeds in the haiku, a tantalising link and shift between image and words. I really appreciate the abstractive approach, which mirrors the very best of traditional haiga. There’s just enough shown between art and poetry for us to connect the two, to something greater together.

baby’s first smile is rendered in a monochrome photograph with shapes and contrasts that link to the delightful haiku. The haiku itself uses a mixture of font sizes that also link back to the photographic shapes. There’s a lovely association between the gossamer wings and a baby’s smile. A very successful haiga.

the vibrant silence is another powerful monochrome with amazing little tears in a fabric that match the haiku on many levels. To bring all these elements together requires a very creative eye, and Katja achieves this in a very stylish manner. We can almost see the silence vibrating … stunning.

Katja Explains in Her Own Words

The embodiment of a lived experience in a piece of 2D or 3D art enables me to externalise my response to it. The accompanying short poem is a further refinement of a particular moment of feeling touched by my environment.

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About the Artist

Katja Fox writes: “I believe that my love of haiga developed naturally based on working as a linguist (professional translator and interpreter) and artist (MA in Art) and also my interest in Eastern philosophies (being a practising Buddhist).” She lives in the United Kingdom.