Inspiration For a Young Artist

Ahhh, Arizona

I recently returned from a trip with my family to Sedona.  It was gorgeous and I could write a whole post just on the natural wonder of the area.  Maybe I will.  But for now, I want to tell you about one of the most delightful finds we made while there.

To understand why it was so delightful, you have to know that my daughter is quite skilled at origami.  That’s not just a mom talking.  Here is a picture of the swan she made me for Mother’s Day last year.

Not your average origami

It’s made of 300 tiny folded pieces. How a teenager has the patience to do this, I don’t know.  She takes origami paper with us wherever we go and has been doing this since she was about 9 years old.

While in Sedona, we visited a nice little shopping village full of upscale art galleries and shops.  Passing by one window, I stopped dead in my tracks.  There hung a beautiful multi-level origami crane mobile.

“Look!” I said, pulling my daughter over to the window, then through the open door of the gallery, Honshin Fine Art.  It was full of beautiful things by the artist who owns the gallery, as well as pieces by other artists.  To our great fortune, the woman working in the gallery that day, Lou Adams, was the artist who made the crane mobile.  She also showed us a butterfly mobile she made, and then very generously offered to teach my kids how to fold a butterfly.  It was a magic moment for us. Thank you, Lou, for your kindness and inspiration!

Learning to fold butterflies

I’ve been telling my daughter for years that her origami is truly art.  Now that she’s seen origami in a real art gallery, she finally believes me.Who knows?  Maybe one day, her fanciful and precise works of paper art will be on display somewhere.

To see Lou’s enchanting work for yourself, visit her website: peacecraneart.com.