I am a Hawaii-born yonsei, which means that I am a fourth generation descendant of Japanese great-grandparents who migrated to Hawaii in the early 1900s. I grew up in Hawaii (Pearl City High School, class of 1984). Then spent twenty years in Massachusetts pursuing an education and a career in veterinary medicine. In 2004, I returned to the land of my birth.

I dabbled in origami as a child, but it never really held my interest. I’ve folded several thousand cranes for friends and family over the years. In Japanese culture, the crane or tsuru is a symbol of luck and longevity, and a thousand and one origami cranes is very traditional gift for weddings and anniversaries. That kept my fingers busy, but never really engaged my brain. 

In 2011, I discovered "extreme origami" - complicated designs with hundreds of steps. I became fascinated by how a two dimensional piece of paper could be transformed into an exquisitely detailed three dimensional figure.

Somewhere around 2016, I decided I wanted an origami representation of my happy-go-lucky corgi dog. I wanted an origami dog with the correct anatomy and proportions, and one that could assume different poses. And I wanted one that showed her character and personality. Much as I searched, I could not find instructions that particular origami dog. There began my transition from following instructions to origami design and sculpting. I chose the name Origami Dog because that is where it all began for me -- with an origami dog. 

Designing origami uses a completely different part of the brain compared to following origami instruction. Folding origami with several hundred steps requires being a really attentive follower. Design is about creating something completely new and different. I jokingly say that I just got really bad at following directions. But design does involve analyzing what each fold contributes to the structure and aesthetic of the final piece. It's the ultimate puzzle.

Many of my subjects are animal forms — some real, some mythical, some fantastical. My style tends towards happy and whimsical. I aim to create more than just representational objects but pieces with enough character and personality to tell a story and engage an audience.

You can read more about my origami art, materials, dyes, design, sculpting, the business of art, and my mission to show people that origami can be a medium for fine art in the Origami Dog Blog. 

I'm kind of on again, off again on Instagram @origamidoghawaii. I am an introvert and just the idea of hundreds or thousands of followers intimidates me, but when I think of it, it is an easy way to share some of my newest stuff and get feedback.