Mihara Family Butterfly

Origami Studios

Never heard of this place, in Brooklyn, New York:

taro's origami studio's mission statement:

The endless flow of creativity is in each of us. Our mission is to create an environment where freedom of expression is encouraged through origami folding.

I've toyed with the idea of having a paper/origami museum-type store, like Origamido, out here in Santa Monica/Los Angeles- one with a big paper crane sculpture sitting atop the building to draw attention to it.

Last December, a satellite store was opened in Oakland.

A Gift for a Gift

November 10, 2013

Finally had a chance to give Joe a gift from Michael LaFosse.  Folded by LaFosse, the paper was made by Richard Alexander.

Joe had loaded me up with a bunch of modular giveaways that he had folded (from envelopes) and which I took with me to PCOC. 

PCOC Paperfolding Fiesta

This is a post about the recent Pacific Coast Origami Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  So why then is the lead photo of a hotel urinal?

You're one mouse click away from the answer....

POP Sunday Meeting, July 28, 2013

Pacific Ocean Paperfolders met once again at the temporary location in the Beverly Hills area.

When I arrived, I believe Joel had taught a pajarita, since there were some sitting on people's tables; and he passed around to me a box of pajarita chocolates he picked up in his travel to Spain a couple of weeks ago.

Folded chocolate?

Shadowboxing with LaFosse

Last month I went home to visit my folks in Colorado Springs. While I was out there, I folded some of my favorite Michael LaFosse models to display in shadow boxes for my mom.

(Note: The ranoshi on a lilly pad with the koi is a David Derudas model).

Michael LaFosse's Art-Deco Wing glider Off a High Rise

This was originally taught to me by Tom Stamm years ago and I've always loved the folding sequence and the flight path of LaFosse's unusual glider- under "normal" circumstances it usually skims across the air in a bit of an up-down motion reminding me of a rock skipping across water. A truly ingenius design. I haven't filmed an example of that flight pattern; but what I did do was throw a couple off the 20th floor of my client's high rise:

*UPDATE* 4/24/2011

Michael LaFosse sent me this story regarding his Art-Deco Wing:

I designed this model while I was a freshman at the U. Tampa, in Florida, 1975. My dorm room was on the 8th floor of Delo Hall, which was situated near the athletic field (The building has since been replace, I believe.)

Many times a week I would launch an Art-Deco Wing out my window and watch it glide over the parking lot, across a street and continue across the athletic filed and out of sight. I never saw one land, but they all seemed to prefer the same path, across the athletic field.

On day, towards the end of my second semester, I took up jogging with a friend. We would jog around the perimeter of the athletic filed, outside of its great walls. To my surprise and delight I found these wings, all in a heap, caught at the base of a fence!

~~~

The accumulation of wings was an interesting sight. They were mixed in with other windswept paper and plastic trash. They had been rained upon and covered with dirt from many months of exposure; though quite deformed they were recognizable. If I remember correctly, the collection spanned a length of the fence area for some twenty feet or so. The area looked as though it got little attention from groundskeepers and the city's cleaning force. I did reach through the fence, and grabbed a decent looking specimen to show my friend and explain what it was all about.