I first began to fold paper as a child. I quickly found that in origami, extraordinary results could be achieved with a simple sheet of paper. I was attracted then because to get started, I didn’t need tools or equipment, and this attraction still holds good today.
While working away from home in the early '70s, I rediscovered this childhood interest, and I obtained more information and books, some from Japan. Soon I joined the British Origami Society and so began this long preoccupation with origami. Through contacts and correspondence, I quickly found that I had friends almost everywhere.
I believe that the inherent restrictions of the square of paper and the unwritten rules of origami (not to cut, not to glue, not to decorate) encourage the origami artist to overcome seemingly impossible technical constraints. There seem to be parallels between origami, and music, mountaineering and cigarette advertising (!) In all these areas, the restrictions faced by man have stimulated extraordinary solutions. In short, restriction yields richness.
Even after decades of folding paper, I am still intrigued by the endless possibilities available to the origami artist. I gain immense pleasure from seeing and discovering new interpretations of over-familiar subjects and techniques. I'm intrigued by unexpected movements of the paper while folding, and I am attracted by its warmth and tactile qualities. Respect for the paper is the key to sensitive finished results.