it better.” If the subject is silk tessellations, the name mentioned might be Chris Palmer. If the subject is a gorgeous floral arrangement, expect to hear the name Delrosa Marshall. If the extraordinary display is of origami animals, we might guess the folder is Sipho Mabona or Robert Lang. This predictable, exceptional level of artistry does not happen by accident. It takes an enormous amount of recital time. These artists know how to make their work sing, and we take delight in any of their public performances.
Crystalline Beauty
Some compositions appear unfinished. Others appear overworked. At some point in between, during the process of folding an origami sculpture, a little voice in your head should say, “That gels.” The ability to recognize, attain, and more importantly, avoid going beyond that critical point is just one thing that distinguishes an artist from a less experienced folder. We love to see the shoeboxes of works that our students bring to the Studio to show to us. Their technical prowess is often quite evident; it seems to drip off the models, yet the art is not there yet. This is usually a phase that young folders pass through. With coaching, they eventually learn to recognize exactly when there is just enough effort, and not too much.
Overcoming “Folder’s Block”
If you are an artist with a vision, you are truly blessed! Writers often suffer from “writer’s block,” a condition of anxiety felt when the words refuse to appear on the blank page. The same can happen with artists or creative people in any discipline. Sometimes an artist “falls into a rut” — doing only familiar designs with their favorite, familiar materials. Another common complaint we hear is that an artist may have no shortage of vision — things they want to fold or accomplish — but every attempt falls far short of their vision. Some designers describe vivid dreams of folding something that turns out to be impossible when they try to recreate the experience while awake. Others “see” way too much, and they bury themselves in piles of mediocre madness (It may be time for them to take a trip to the paper-recycling center). Whenever you feel stymied or artistically inarticulate, consider the following suggestion:
Gain a New Perspective
The best way that we have found to recharge our reservoir of artistic vision is to change our scene and our routine. Whether we go local or travel to new lands, the effect is refreshing. Our time in Hawai‘i was a way to make new friends, experience interesting creatures and recharge our spirits in refreshingly beautiful landscapes. This also provided us with new colors, smells and sounds, and our palette of handmade papers brightened considerably. Grab a pack of paper and just GO SOMEWHERE!
Collaborate
The creative staff in any company needs a shot in the arm once in a while. We have been fortunate to work with several creative staffs at workshops for innovators and with design teams of well-known companies. We have prepared teachers’ workshops at schools and colleges, and find that when artists learn a new technique, they immediately think up many ways to apply it to their art. Just as there are many ways to construct a bridge over a river, bridging your vision into the world of reality as a tangible sculpture requires considerable thought, planning and experimentation. Working with somebody else is synergy at its best, creating together more than the sum of what each could do alone. We believe that those who enjoy that collaborative process become better artists.
Folding for Oneself
That pendulum can swing both ways. Perhaps you need a break from long periods of collaboration. If you are the rare breed of artist with no need of an audience, origami may be a perfect solitary pastime for you. One friend enjoys origami immensely, but only to satisfy her own curiosity. She rarely keeps anything that she folds, and she does not fuss with obtaining fancy papers. To her, the only thing that is important is to understand the structure of the model. Other artists also develop their folding talent for solitary joy. Perhaps they have such high expectations that they are too shy to ever show their work to another human being. Some keep nothing. Others keep all of their work, but they keep it hidden away. Many people fold for relaxation or for escape from worldly matters in the same way that it can be fun to get lost in a novel.
Michael’s “Tulip for Betty,” named for his mother, on display at the “Less = More” exhibition at the Honolulu Museum of Art from February to May in 2015.
Practical Considerations
MORE TIPS FOR FOLDERS
Considering the question of scale — each model has a fairly well-defined, optimum range of scale that translates to the perfect paper size, or range of preferable sizes. When a model just seems perfect, you know that the artist has chosen the scale wisely. This choice also depends upon the paper thickness for a given model, and it is a mark of an experienced folder when you see those choices perfectly executed. We are also aware of the impressive work that it takes to create examples that fall outside of that usual window or envelope. When you see such works, realize that they probably rely on hidden engineering, support structures, materials, tricks or tools to accomplish the extraordinary. Our display of Origami Japanese Cranes at a pharmaceutical convention required a special, two-piece design, and internal structural supports and clamping devices in order to show off their seven-foot wingspans.
Crease Patterns
Crease patterns are efficient puzzles useful to adept folders, and in a perfect world where there are no beginners and everyone has above average skills, there would be no need for elaborate diagrams, drawings, photos or video instructions. We don’t live in that world. Regardless, if you have been folding for a while, it might be fun to practice your proficiency at figuring out crease patterns. Another way to challenge yourself is to use a right-handed crease pattern to create a left-handed origami model (such as Michael’s Yellow Tang for Mariko, page 64). This ability to translate “handedness,” or chirality, is a useful skill that improves with practice. Crease patterns have become an important component of public displays of folded art. When a visitor looks at a piece of origami art without realizing that it was folded from a single square with no cuts, the impact may not be as powerful as it would be if a crease pattern accompanied the work to communicate that added information. The same is true of popular songs. Knowing why a songwriter was moved to create a piece of music often adds immeasurably to the total experience.
Holding Hand, Working Hand
We in New England are mindful of the concept of the “division of labor,” especially every time we enjoy eating our tasty, large-claw lobsters from the icy North Atlantic. The local lobsters have two distinct and specialized claws — a smaller and sharper “pincher” claw, and a massively powerful “crusher” claw. Think of this animal whenever you fold paper, because one of your hands will be better at holding the paper, and the other will be skilled at placing the creases. “Hold before you fold,” is a common reminder we hear from Michael when he is working with a new folder. Printed origami diagrams are to blame for many of a new folder’s difficulties. For economy, the diagrams are rarely rotated on the page to show in the actual orientation that we normally use when we are placing a crease. When one sits at a table with the paper before them, the natural position of the fingers points away from the folder’s body. That is also the most natural direction for a flap of paper to be moved by those extended fingers — away from the body. This means that the paper will be frequently turned, flipped and repositioned for folding comfort, and the hand that firmly pins the model to the table is the “holding hand” while the fold is being positioned and creased by the “folding hand.” Some folders can perform delicate maneuvers only with their dominant hand, and they focus their efforts on that hand. Others strive for equal facility in their hands, and exercise their non-dominant hand as a way to challenge their minds.
