Origami Workshop at Mitsuwa in Los Angeles

Mitsuwa off Venice Blvd and La Cienega/Bundy in Los Angeles has a small Kinokuniya bookstore.  It seems that every 4th Saturday, they have an origami workshop offered, free to their patrons.

8-5-2017

Origami at Descanso Gardens

This is the event that Yami Yamauchi used to do; and has passed it on to me (I believe my third year doing this).

This year, they decided to host their Cherry Blossom Festival over two weekends.  These clips are from last weekend:

Sunday, it started out great (I wish someone had filmed it!); and then we hit rain:

We've had an unusual amount of rain in Southern California, this year.

Amazingly, people wanted to keep folding.  The umbrellas didn't exactly help because the downpour just soaked the tableclothes as they ran off the umbrellas.

Pam Miike and I are there again this weekend.  Unfortunately, tickets are sold out (as they were last weekend).  The Gardens wanted to try and control the crowds this year.

There is always next year!

Paul Jackson to Give Origami Workshop in Little Tokyo

Paul Jackson will be visiting from Israel this weekend, at the Japanese-American National Museum:

Above the Fold artistPaul Jackson will lead a hands-on workshop that gives participants a taste of the unique folding and cutting technique he used to create the works seen in the exhibition. Jackson will explain how the technique evolved, how he uses it, and some the many variations that are possible. Time will be allowed for personal discovery.

No origami experience is necessary. $20 members; $25 non-members. Museum admission included. Limited to 25 participants.

In conjunction with  Above the Fold: New Expressions in Origami, exhibit.

Hat tip:  Joel Stern

While you are down there, you can check out 500 of Jared Needle's 1100 birds he (with help from friends) folded for promotion of the movie, Kubo and the Two Strings (which I've arranged to see with a bunch of my gymnasts that same Sunday afternoon):

More here.

Backcoating Panel Workshop at Centerfold

Never used mc?  Never tried back-coating your own specialized paper for those museum-quality, complex and supercomplex folds?  Didn't make it out to Ohio?  Then this might be for you:

The Song of Origami

Origami at Westland School

From last Wednesday.


I've been coming here for I think over a decade.  Always a treat. 

4-20-2016

And to think I get paid to do the enjoyable!

Origami with Schooling for Life

Had a great time conducting a 2 hour workshop yesterday.

Thanks Denise!  Thanks Jessica!

Some origami magic at Tokyo Central

This is a clip from part of my presentation/demonstration, prior to giving a workshop in origami at Tokyo Central in Costa Mesa, CA, last month.

Post-Matsuri Origami Workshop

2-22-2015

 I double-booked myself last weekend and had to be in two different states at once.  It all worked out in the end.

Originally, I was booked for Matsuri in Arizona.  I was planning to take Thursday through Tuesday off.....this week.  The problem is Matsuri happened this past weekend; and Yami had talked me into working with a contact from Marukai who was looking for an origami teacher to conduct a workshop in Costa Mesa at Tokyo Central.  Yami did not feel his health would allow for himself to be booked in advance.

2-22-2015 Display

Since I didn't have to be at the actual Matsuri Festival (which would have been nice) and help with the origami booths, I was able to do my Costa Mesa event; then high-tail it 600-700 miles to Arizona.  Yes, I drove.  Through bad LA traffic and drizzling rain. 
I arrived at my hotel after midnight.  Stayed up until 3.  Then woke up at 6am.  Workshop was from 9am to 4pm.

It was great to see so many old friends and make the acquaintance of some new ones.  There's something special about these kind of gatherings because these are friends you generally see only once a year, if even that.


I had been invited to Matsuri before as guest artist one year; then co-artist with Yami a second year.

I was a "last month" replacement for Andrew Ting, who had school on the day of the workshop.



I shared a couple of performance pieces, including "Instant Origami":

 I brought a shoebox full of pre-scored polypopagon cards and those pretty well disappeared.  I think it was a pretty big hit.

Among the other things taught, Akiko Yamanashi's twist box:

I also brought the scored paper for Angel Blanco's self-closing box.  That also went over well.

More photos here.

2-23-2015

A lone Bruin deep in USC territory

I gave a presentation and workshop to some USC students today.  It was a good warm-up, dusting off some rust, as I have 3 origami events lined up these next few weeks.T

I met up with Yami last week and he passed off some die-stamped crease patterns for Angel Blanco's self-closing box and the polypopagon.  Both seemed to turn out well.   That's a relief.

2-12-2015

Cool Idea for a Classroom Presentation

Might be an idea to add to my annual demo/workshop at Westland Middle School- which is tomorrow:

 I'm thinking some sheets of colored kami thrown in; traditional models emerge out for instant origami; then explain part of the fun is the process of actually folding.

For the paper bag trick:

Origami at the Whittier Library (February 4, 2006)

Matsuri Festival Phoenix, Arizona February 24-27, 2006

Photos are up in my Fisherknight album. (Let me know if the link doesn't work).

Lessons in Origami

I taught a few workshops back in April for a Charter school, culminating in a silent auction, including donated pieces.

Matsuri Festival in Phoenix, Arizona

I was invited out to teach at the Matsuri Festival, in Phoenix. Hopefully this video captures some of the fun. It was nice to see familiar faces from my past OUSA Convention visits.