Water for Tea is a collection of my haiku, written over the course of a few years, combined with sumi-e drawings of some of the objects in the poems. They are collected in a cherry wood box and presented in the form of cards--each poem and image on a single card. The seventy-two haiku are printed letterpress on a variety of colored papers which represent the seasons. They are contained in a cloth envelope and are meant to be read in conjunction with viewing the images. The images are printed and painted on translucent Japanese paper mounted on thin plexiglass. The image cards fit into grooves in the box and become sliding panels. The back of the box is translucent, allowing light to brighten the images from behind, creating new combinations and juxtapositions as drawings are moved around by the reader/viewer. The card format encourages the reader to focus on one particular moment in time evoked by each haiku and also to interact and play with the images in his or her own way.

Terri Tibbatts is a book artist and calligrapher. She studied calligraphy, typography and art history at Smith College and later worked for the Meriden Stinehour Press, a printer of fine art books, broadsides, and catalogues. She studied Japanese brushwork in Japan and the U.S., and recently received a Master’s Degree in Art from Wesleyan University. Her artist’s books are in collections across the country and she is currently teaching book arts in an after school program while continuing her own work using printmaking, photography and calligraphy.