As a child, origami was a great way to pass the time, and incredibly useful. I can't count the times that I was without a cup. A single piece of paper and four folds later, I was no longer thirsty. Ninja stars were popular amongst us boys, and well folded note was sure to be read by a girl. Now I love to make vases and flowers, mushrooms, and boxes. Though I have been folding paper since childhood, I am still amazed by the complexity of some models, and the creative forces involved in discovering new ways to bend a sheet of paper into a piece of art.

Paper in itself is an art. The paper store near my home is my favorite place to shop. There are such a variety of prints, textures, and materials used to make paper. I've seen paper that is half leather, I've seen half cotton, I've seen papyrus, and even paper that was mostly holes. Black cloth like paper is really great for spiders, and shiny thick paper is great for boxes. Through origami I have become fascinated with paper, the history, and the art of making it.

Origami is something else, an art form so diverse and logical, that it defies description. It originally was a way of folding certificates, in halves or thirds, but has grown into a whole realm of decoration, toys, and more. Some die hards will swear that origami only involves square pieces of paper, but in fact only the simplest origami can be formed from this. As the art has developed, origami artists have begun weaving, cutting, gluing, and even crumpling and watering the paper. I think it was the paper mushrooms that really opened my mind.

Here I begin my origami collection, a variety of models that I have learned over the years. I hope that you will enjoy this pastime, this hobby, this art; as much as I have.