OrigamiDave, Dave Isaacs

What is your favorite art medium to work in, and why?

I love working with all types of paper, particularly high quality handmade Japanese papers and Lokta, a handmade paper from Nepal. These papers are made from long fibers that hold up well to repeated folding, and often have a textural aspect to them that can be used to achieve a certain effect for different models needs. I'll often adhere foil to these papers, as they are often very soft. The foil allows for a scultpability that otherwise wouldn't be possible with the paper alone. Glueing two pieces together with methylcellulose(back-coating), is another technique I use with these papers for wet-folding, which allows you to apply soft folds and curves that stay in place once the paper dries.

When did you first figure out that art was important to you?

Art has been important to me for my entire life. I focused on music for most of my life, starting formal lessons at 4 years old. Origami has many parallels to music. Folding a model is a performance. Reading and interpreting diagrams is akin to reading and interpreting written music. Creating models is like composing a song or concerto. Robert Lang often names his models Opus(x), as a composer would name his work.

Who is your art mentor?

My Origami practice has been heavily influenced by Robert Lang, Eric Gjerde, Michael laFosse, Tomoke Fuse, David Brill, and Kunihiko Kasahara. I will be forever indebted to their work and lessons.

Finish this sentence: My art is my...

daily practice.

What advice would you offer someone just beginning their exploration of their own artistic self?

Focus on the now. Develop your ability to concentrate on the task at hand. Don't get lost in the past or future. The present moment is what we have, where we truly exist. Connecting with life as it happens is the practice.

Do you have a website or blog you would like us to link to?

@redwoodorigamicommunity on Instagram. I should start a blog though...