In this installment of Interview with the Artist, I am thrilled to introduce a young woman who creates some of the most extraordinary paper art that I’ve ever seen. Her origami greeting cards, bookmarks, and delicate origami earrings are absolutely gorgeous! Please meet Kayo 🙂

It is no exaggeration for me to tell you that her work is perfection. You will truly be amazed at the attention to every little detail in her art.

Cards of this quality are just not available at your local store. When you purchase her origami greeting cards, be prepared to want to frame them, instead of send them! I speak from experience on that. 😉

Her designs, her choice of fine materials, her incredible craftsmanship, and her presentation of the finished items, all blend to make each purchase from Kayo’s shop an experience that will delight you.

She has graciously provided a fabulous prize for next week’s giveaway contest here on Bead Happily Ever After! It will be one of the most beautiful giveaways that we have ever had!!! So be sure to come back on Monday for the new contest, when I will unveil Kayo’s very special prize. You are going to LOVE it!

In the meantime, visit her etsy shop and receive free shipping with orders of $10.00 or more through April 30th.

And now, the interview . . .

Were you interested in art as a child?

Not really. I didn’t get much incentive for arts when I was a kid. In kindergarten the teachers always stamped my drawings like “bad” and “terrible”. LOL. I had the worst grades on my drawings because the teacher would not understand what I wanted to express. At pre-school other kids teased me saying that my drawings were ugly. It was disappointing, but I never gave up my desire to draw well.

What were some of the earliest projects that you created?

I have been working with paper since I was a little kid, so I don’t remember what my first projects were. My earliest projects that I actually sold were artificial flower arrangements. When I was in sixth grade, a friend of mine and I saw a flyer from a local church that was offering a course on how to make artificial flowers and we got very interested. We were the only kids attending the course among about twenty adults. We thought that the course would be very simple, like just to have some ideas of flower arrangements. However, we learned a lot of things like making a type of glue to harden fabric, fabric dyeing, fabric cutting with special tools (petals and leaf shapes), hot pressing, etc. We had to skip some physical education classes in the morning to attend this course, but it was fun. Sometimes I had to pick up my sister at school after the course and some moms (who were picking up their children) would see my flowers and ask if I was selling them. This is how I started selling flowers to classmates and their moms. 🙂

When did you first try origami? Did you like it immediately?

I first tried when I was around 6 or 7 years old. My aunt and uncle used to teach my siblings and me some simple origami (and Japanese language) on weekends. My uncle even gave me an origami book that I still treasure. I liked origami so much. I started making origamis from the book to give to my friends. I remember that I ran out of a pack of my Dad’s paper to make and give origami to each of my classmates! Then, for years I did not make origami, until in the first year of architecture school, when one of the first assignments was to make several origami models to study structural systems! Since then I haven’t stopped making origami.

You have such an extraordinary talent for exquisite detail in your work. Do you also enjoy other forms of art, such as painting?

I like to try any forms of art I can. I enjoy watercolor and oil painting, but I am still in my early stages. I also enjoy drawing and drafting (which is my main professional activity), needlework (knitting, crochet, stitching), working with cold porcelain, and lately, music (keyboard).

Is paper your favorite medium?

So far, it is! It is my favorite medium because it is very accessible, versatile, and requires almost no tools (only scissors and glue) to create something out of it.

Where do you find inspiration for your designs?

Usually from Asian paintings, movies, and memories of my grandma.

Do you keep any examples of your best work – just for yourself?

I keep the first works because I think they don’t look good enough to sell. Another reason not to keep all the works I like is that it will be hard to take them with me if I have to move to other places in the future, as I expect to do. At least I have photos of my works to remember them.

How do you promote your work and what advice would you give to people who would like to begin selling their art?

I really do not make any kind of advertisement of my work! Making crafts is just a pastime for me.
My advice for those who want to begin selling their art is:
1. Keep experimenting. Most of the time your creations will not turn out well, but don’t give up!
2. Find your personal style and do your best. Your love and care will be shown in your work!
3. When selling online, take a look at discussions in the forums. They can be very helpful.
4. Try to take good photos of your items.
5. Have good customer services.
6. The most important: ALWAYS believe in yourself!

Thank you so much for interviewing me!
~Kayo