Satoshi Kamiya

The origami works of Satoshi Kamiya are intriguing to fold for several reasons. First, they are some of the most technically challenging models to fold. Not only are the complex, but his style is unique.. you'll find something you've never seen before in each of his models. Second, despite the technicality of his complex models, the accuracy and beauty of the finish product rivals that of Michael LaFosse or Quentin Trollip- both of whom are far less technical, but produce some of the most beautiful origami art I've seen.

 

"Lion" by Satoshi Kamiya

Folded from one 45cm square of 

'Saffron' Lokta paper treated with cornstarch

 "Orca" by Satoshi Kamiya

Folded from one 25cm square of

Black/White DUO paper

That's all for now! Happy Folding!

Windsurfing- A blast from the past!

I always tell people that I grew up sailing on Sacandaga Lake, mostly on windsurfers. I was going through old pictures recently and came across these... I thought I'd post them for fun.. and PROOF :-)

Tim meets Prism Glassworks

The guys at Prism Glassworks were in the local newspapers recently for winning an award from the city of Troy for rehabing an old building and turning it into one of the regions premier glasswork shops. Maribeth and I had our curiosity peaked, so we stopped in to see the shop.

These guys have some very talented artists on staff working in borosilicate to produce beautiful wine glasses, pendants, marbles, and pipes. At the back of their showroom is a huge glass window peering into their production shop so that you can watch the crew at work. Its a very impressive workshop, with several really high end torch setups... The big brothers to my tiny little GTT Bobcat!

After talking to these guys, I was convinced to purchase some borosilicate tubes and begin blowing implosion pendants, ornaments, etc. My soft glass experience really helped get a good start, but boro is definitely a different beast! One of the guys even gave me some scrap colors from his personal studio to help me learn how the different colors behave in the flame. A big thanks to him for all of his help- he's the kind of artist who loves to share his experience with an enthusiastic newbie.

 

My first Borosilicate implosion pendant!

Time to go pull last nights work out of the kiln, and practice some more!

Health update, 11/22/2011

Just as a quick update on my health:

Last time I was at the oncologist, my white blood cell count had climbed a bit faster than it had been. My doctor decided to order another scan before the end of the year. I had that PET/CT scan a week ago, and just got the results back on Tuesday. The scan showed no change from the last scan 6 months ago, which is a relief. My white cell count has only risen a little bit. It seems everything is going as expected- no suprises!

Thats all the news for now.

Paper Cranes

I saw this model in Origami Sequence #1, and just had to fold it! I started out with my first line of defense- white artists drawing paper. It was just too thick to make the thin little legs and neck. However I was satisfied that I could move on to more expensive paper.

 

"Crane" by Daniel Naranjo

Folded from one 40" square of

White Unryu paper treated with cornstarch

When I began folding just 11 months ago, I never would have thought folding paper cranes would have been so rewarding! This model really captures the subject beautifully, especially when it's balancing on one foot!

Folding LaFosse

I always enjoy folding a model by Michael Lafosse. The base is usually quite simple to fold, but after some interpretation in sculpting, the models are realistic and quite beautiful.

This particular model required Duo paper, which I attempted to make by MC'ing Royal Blue and Merlot Red lokta together. Though the final product comes out very nice to sculpt and fold, the rich colors bleed together. Next time I'll have to tr spra adhesive and maybe even replace one sheet of lokta for tissue paper.

"Red Throated Hummingbird" by Michael LaFosse

Folded from one 9" square of 

Royal Blue/Merlot Red Lokta

Still Folding...

It's been a week or two since I last posted. That doesn't mean I haven't been folding! I've spent quite a bit of time working on Quentin Trollip's "Grey Wolf". After one or two tries I was able to fold this model.. however trouble began when I tried to use just the right paper to fold it.

The first successful fold was completed using an 11"" square of Canson artists marker paper. Its highly sized and very smooth to the touch. Though it isn't the thinnest paper out there, it holds an excellent crease. I've found it to be an excellent paper for technical folding, but not so great for sculpted (wet folded) models.

Moving on to fold a final version of the model in artist quality paper, I ran into some trouble. Some of my papers are great for 100 steps or so, but start to soften and break down around 130 folds. This means some of the really nice details can be lost- like the toes of the Wolf.

So after trying several sizes and types of artist quality paper, I ended up with a Butterscotch colored Lokta, which had been resized using a cornstarch solution rather than Methyl Cellulose. I find I get a better crease from the cornstarch.

"Grey Wolf" by Quentin Trollip

Folded from a single 20" square of 

Butterscotch colored Lokta paper

Another recent fold is an old favorite- The Kawasaki Rose, which I have placed upon a simple longstem folded to my design from a second square of paper.

"Kawasaki Rose"

Folded from one 9" square of Merlot Red

and a second square of Grass Green Lokta paper