I was first introduced to Origami as an exchange student in Schnaitsee, Germany. Alex "Kholi" Kohlman taught me a version of the ubiquitous Jumping Frog. I spent a summer folding Christmas ornaments from The Origami Workshop by Gay Merrill Gross and The Magic of Origami by Gray and Kasahara, but I wasn't serious about it - yet.

Approximately three years ago I became acquainted with a gentleman, Fred, who is interested in Japanese language and culture. This sparked my interest in origami again and I ended up completely beguiled by the art of origami.

My tastes in origami, and all things really, is best described as eclectic. There is a quote in Kasahara's Origami Omnibus that I really like. In describing models, and explaining the difference between the realistic and representational styles, he says,"I like them all". I highly recommend exposing yourself to as many styles, folders, and creators as possible.

I'd like to offer some encouragement and tips to beginners:

1. Always review the legend for folding symbols for each book, even minor differences can be confusing.

2. Look ahead to the next diagram while folding.

3. The more you fold, the more familiar you will become with what the paper is capable of doing.

4. It's never as hard as you think it is.

5. Check at your library for books. They will often have the only copy of older books that you will be able to find.

6. Beauty is in the eye of the folder.

With all the great sites that cover the history and origins of origami, my humble words would be redundant. You can find a list of links to these pages under my links section.

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