I started out as a fiber person, creating clothes with my mind and hands.
Little did I realize, when I first arrived in Japan on a rainy, humid, hot July night some 28 years ago what a profound impact every aspect of that rich
culture would have on me. The longer I stayed, the more I explored and the more
I found that I wanted to learn.
I
love the simple, quiet, elegant beauty of Japanese flower arranging. Having
studied and done it for 28 years, I now hold the rank of Associate First Term
Master of the Ohara School. I teach one class and try to impart my love of this
wonderful art to them.
I
create origami jewelry using a colorful print, strong textured Japanese paper
called “chiyogami washi”. I’ve been creating my origami jewelry for nearly
8 years and not a year goes by is static in what I make. I always come up with
some new twist to change a design or some new idea.
Most of the items I make
are folded from one piece of paper: The crane and dragonfly are made from a 2”
square of paper and take 2 minutes to fold, the frog from a 4”square takes 6
minutes, the crabby Maryland crab from a 6” square takes 15 minutes. The
pieces are then stiffened, acrylic lacquered and finished. Each display card has
the kanji (Japanese character) printed on the back as well as a haiku
poem or brief story of the piece.
I always thought origami
boxes were cute. Then I got an idea from a magazine and started experimenting
and refining the techniques and came up with making a triangular origami box
handbag using bright oriental print fabric. They are labor intensive but a
wonderful conversation piece for that special time. They also make a great
decorative wall piece – real art to wear!
Why
learn Japanese braiding with silk when I already have a collection of old belts
bought at bazaars and flea markets in Japan?
But, us “Westerners” always come up with something new to use with a
traditional technique. Finally, two years ago, I finally gave into pressure from
my weaver friends and took a weekend class. After all, I had studied sumi-e, tea
ceremony, ikebana, and origami and silk paintex. Here was something very
Japanese. INSTANT ADDICTION!
In Rodrick Owen’s book BRAIDS, he expresses very
well why I enjoy creating braids, “Holding a length of finished braid in your
hand, feeling its weight,
watching the colors and feeling the sensual movement as it is drawn through the
fingers from one hand to the other, give an inner answer to the question of why
the braid has been made…. it has been a personal journey…. and at the end, a
feeling of completeness.
Braiding
takes concentration and is meditation – the sound of the wood bobbins softly
striking each other and the legs of the wood stand, watching the threads
rhythmically flow around the flat wood top. Braiding is my personal expression
– taking an object, one of my origami kimono pins or a beautiful “object”
I’ve obtained from someone else, and creating a gathering of threads that will
complement the colors and personality of that object to give it life.
Many years ago, I became enthralled with the creative, imaginative creation of cloth. I started with one loom, now own five, collect yarn to help insulate my house and only weave for myself when I have some time. A loom is a gorgeous piece of furniture and I love to sit, feel and look at the colors of the yarn on the shelf.