Being a professional musician & engineer, I am in constant pursuit of new ways to create things and make the world a better place. I believe this is everyone’s responsibility, no matter which walk of life they choose. As a lifelong artist in music and now paper, I’ve learned to discover inspiration from almost any source: nature; daily observations ; others’ pursuits; or perhaps the simple combination of colors or a pattern that triggers ‘What if?” thoughts.
I had an interest in origami throughout my life, but never took the time to explore it. In 2007, I had a business trip where I knew ahead of time that I would be secluded for a week, so I thought ‘Why Not?’ I got a basic origami book from the library, a pack of origami paper and began by making the traditional crane and boxes. To me, this was merely interesting – until I built my first modular ornament. When it dawned on me that I could actually build things with paper – not just tediously fold it – I was hooked. The logical engineer and the creative musician kicked in together and realized this could be a fun hobby. I’ve been building modular creations with paper ever since. Since 2009, my ‘little hobby’ has grown from a few craft shows to include art shows, workshops and teaching opportunities.
In addition to commissions for friends and customers, I generally get new insights when I am purposely quiet for some reason (not necessarily looking for ideas - they just come while working outside, sitting in the office, etc.) and when I am walking (I walk 3-4 miles per day for exercise). I’ve learned to jot these ideas down as soon as possible, since I never know exactly when they’ll come to fruition. I pursue some ideas almost immediately while some stay on a ‘Possible Do List’ for a long time. I've learned not to pre-judge an idea early in the process (a sort of artistic brainstorming), since many times this idea will click and be added to my repertoire - but perhaps not for months depending how busy I am or when the ideas finally gel into something I can create.
Entering my 6th year of paper artistry, I've begun to explore additional fields of origami as well as other paper pursuits. You'll now find pages dedicated to Polish paper art (Wycinanki) as well as paper weaving creations. Plans are also in the works for Pennsylvania Dutch and German forms of folk artistry celebrated for many years around the world. Thanks for being a part of my journey!
