My journey with origami as a medium for fine art has been incubating for about a decade. In fact, it didn’t really become a goal until a few years ago, and it is still evolving. But as the humble 4-string ukulele could rise above its origins in the hands of a virtuoso, I believe that origami can be more than just hobbyist paper craft. 

I am yonsei, which means that I am a fourth generation descendant of Japanese great-grandparents who migrated to Hawaii in the late 1800s. I dabbled in origami as a child, but it never really held my interest. I’ve folded several thousand cranes for friends and family over the years. In Japanese culture, the crane or tsuru is a symbol of luck and longevity, and a thousand and one origami cranes is very traditional gift for weddings and anniversaries. That kept my fingers busy, but never really engaged my brain. In mid-life, I discovered “extreme” origami with hundreds of steps, and impressively detailed figures.

Somewhere around 2016, I decided I wanted an origami representation of my happy-go-lucky corgi dog. I wanted an origami corgi with the correct anatomy and proportions that could assume different poses. And I wanted one that showed her character and personality. I searched and searched but could not find instructions to fold the origami corgi that I could visualize and wanted. There began my transition from following instructions to designing and sculpting.

For me, being yonsei means having the luxury of picking and choosing which parts of my Japanese heritage to acknowledge and which parts to ignore. I appreciate the geometric folds of origami design to create a strong structural foundation. However, bringing origami to life requires “listening" and allowing a creation’s story to shape its body language and facial expressions. I am most definitely not one of the origami purists who denounces glue, wire, or even the occasional use of scissors. And if we are to get technical, many of my creations are folded from a material that looks like paper, but is a water-resistant, tear-resistant synthetic made by Dupont. It’s American and it makes my art possible. 

I am an origami designer and sculptor. Many of my subjects are animal forms — some real, some mythical, some fantastical. My style tends towards happy and whimsical. I aim to create more than just representational objects but pieces with enough character and personality to tell a story and engage an audience. My finished works range in size from a 1-1/2 inch long `ōpae `ula (Hawaiian red shrimp) to 7-foot long dragons. 

You can read more about my origami art, materials, dyes, design, sculpting, the business of art, and my mission to show people that origami can be a medium for fine art in the Origami Dog Blog.