Shows

I’m excited to share that my work is currently featured in a two-artist exhibition at the Urbandale Art Gallery, alongside paintings by Suzanne LaTour Stevens. The exhibition will be on view through February 21, 2026, with a reception on Sunday, February 1, 1-2 pm. The title of my show is “Twists and Bends.”

The gallery is located in the Urbandale Public Library (3520 86th Street, Urbandale, IA 50322). If you’re in the area, I hope you’ll stop by!

Some photos of the show – I haven’t been posting new work for a while, so some of these will show up on the blog in the coming weeks.

Artist Statement and Show Description

Origami is a synthesis of my two interests: the scientific and logical in harmony with the artistic and creative. Paper offers a unique balance of freedom and constraint: every form must emerge from a single continuous surface through folding alone. Rather than restricting creativity, these boundaries generate it. Every piece begins with the question whether a form can even exist within the constraints of folding. Working within these constraints echoes my broader interest in the union of art and science.

Vases and bowls are especially compelling subjects because they, like paper, are fundamentally surfaces. Even at their most complex, they retain a conceptual simplicity that invites viewers to examine and understand them, while still wondering at their transformation. This accessibility allows people to step into the analytical mindset that drives my work, engaging not only with the finished object but with the underlying logic of its creation.

This exhibit includes two series that examine different aspects of this inquiry. The first series pushes the boundaries of mathematical engineering, exploring structures that appear impossible to create from a single uncut sheet of paper. Each piece is hand-painted with patterns that integrate with the folded geometry, heightening the illusion that the surfaces must have been cut and reassembled. I want viewers to approach these pieces as puzzles, thinking like scientists as they examine how these shapes can exist.

The second series offers a simpler counterpoint. These vessels incorporate lace-like cutouts that adorn the geometry, but the underlying forms are foldable without them. The openness of the lace introduces an interplay of light, shadow, and negative space. Removing portions of the surface also tests the structural limits of paper, creating a tension between the form’s structural integrity and the visual delicacy of the lace. These pieces explore the beauty that emerges from the simple elegance of folded paper.

Together, the two series reflect my ongoing exploration of how structure, constraint, and beauty interact, revealing the expressive potential of a sheet of paper.

I’m pleased to announce that my series of three curved-neck vases is now part of the permanent collection of the Museo del Origami in Colonia, Uruguay! The museum has a few more details on the addition on its news page.

The Museo del Origami opened in 2020 and is the only museum in the Americas that focuses exclusively on origami. Their permanent collection traces the historical development of origami in both the East and the West, highlights the work of contemporary origami artists across many design styles, and explores applications of origami in science, technology, education, and design.

I’m excited to announce that I’ll be giving a talk about my origami at OrigamiUSA’s FoldFest Spring 2021! The event runs from Saturday, April 10, 10:00am EDT until Sunday, April 11, 11:00am EDT. My talk, titled “Twists and Bends,” will be at 6:00pm EDT on April 10 (details on the full schedule).

I’ll be talking about the design principles behind quite a few of my geometrically distorted vases, starting from a simple accordion fold and building all the way up to the impossible-looking diagonal shifts and bends. I’ll show a bunch of the motifs that show up in the crease patterns and how they combine in the finished models.

I installed my show, Intersections: The Art and Science of Folded Paper, in the art gallery at Furman last Friday. The show will be open until October 25. There will be a reception on October 24 from 6:30-8:30pm, and I will be giving a gallery talk at 7pm.

The show includes 16 pieces from 3 series, as well as 6 crease patterns (two from each series). The pieces from my Intersections and Diagonal Shift series are all ones I’ve posted previously; the third series and the crease patterns are brand new for this show.

The new series includes the four pieces in the back row of the photo above. It’s not obvious because of the perspective, but these pieces are quite large: up to about 22 inches tall! After almost two years of working in mostly neutral colors, I was very ready to fold some brightly-colored pieces. I’ll post more about this series later.

The crease patterns are also newly drawn, and printed the actual size of the paper I used to fold the pieces. They help connect the artistic aspects of my work with the mathematical/engineering side. I’ve posted several crease patterns previously for test folds and simpler pieces, but these are the first I’ve drawn for full models. Again, I’ll post more details later.

Here are a few more views of the show:

I am getting ready for a solo show of my artwork this fall at Furman University in Greenville, SC. The show, Intersections: The Art and Science of Folded Paper, will be open October 6-25 with a reception 6:30-8:30 pm October 24. Since I’m an alum, the art department invited me to do this year’s Homecoming art show.

The show will include pieces from my Intersections and Diagonal Shift series, as well as a new series I haven’t posted any photos of yet. I will also be showing several crease patterns to show the scientific/engineering aspects of my work.

I’m very excited to announce that I’ll be participating in two origami shows this summer!

1. FAVA Folding Festival

The FAVA gallery in Oberlin, OH has been hosting the FAVA Folding Festival since 2008, organized by James Peake. The info for this year’s show isn’t online yet, but the show will be open from May 11 until late July. I will have about 6 pieces in the show, including selections from both my Intersections and Diagonal Shift series.

2. Surface to Structure

Surface to Structure: Folded Forms will be exhibited at the Cooper Union in New York City. This was also the site of the first origami exhibit in the United States, in 1959. The show will be open June 19 – July 4 and is curated by Uyen Nguyen with co-advisors Sok Song and Patsy Wang Iverson. I will have one piece from my Diagonal Shift series in the show.