Paula Pietranera is an artist we love. Born in Argentina, she studied to be an architect, but shifted gears after being immersed in Asian arts. She mentored with a famous Origami artist in Kyoto and has now created amazing artworks based on the confluence of her background as an architect, her knowledge of Renzuru origami (replicating cranes) and Sami-E ink painting, and her overall creativity and brilliance. Paula lives in San Francisco. https://paulapietranera.com/  See @paulapietranera on Instagram

ARTIST STATEMENT

Think the fold. Be the fold. Forget the fold.

My work is rooted in two traditional Japanese art techniques.

Renzuru, which is roughly translated as “consecutive cranes”, is an advanced origami technique that uses a single sheet of paper to fold a series of multiple cranes, all connected to each other through their wings, beak or tails.

And Sumié, the art of ink painting. 

Through the fluidity and spontaneity of the brush strokes and the precision and detail care of the paper folds, my art invites you to get closer, to connect, and explore. Paper cranes and sumi ink come together in a subtle way that can only be discovered within the stillness of intimate, mindful attention.

Many connected cranes come alive out of a single sheet of paper, where each one is unique and at the same time part of the whole. The simplicity, skilled execution, and the deep connection with the creative act of the present moment is what gives life to my expression as an artist, on a journey beyond mere decoration or aesthetic appreciation.

“Paula Pietranera has reinvented Renzuru into a highly sophisticated contemporary art form that goes beyond folk art in both style and content.”

Dr. Mark Levy
Professor Emeritus of Art History, California State University

BIO - PAULA PIETRANERA

Born in 1979 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Paula Pietranera graduated as an architect and later specialized in historical building conservation and restoration. During her studies, she felt a deep spiritual connection to Asian arts which led her to study sumi-e, origami and calligraphy in Argentina, Japan, and the United States. While living in Japan in 2015, she discovered the renzuru origami technique for which she trained with the master Mizuho Tomita in Kyoto. During the last few years she has been exploring ways in which this traditional paper folding technique can be an expressive medium of fine artwork. Her creations have been exhibited in Argentina, Japan and in the USA

keyword: featuredartists