About the Artist - Mary Shota

    My career as a miniaturist began right out of high school in the '70's. Prior to that, culture and art was taught by my mother. My mother made sure that she cultivated and nurtured traditional Asian art, folk crafts, music, calligraphy, and dance, to anyone who wanted to learn. This was just passed from one familial generation to another.

    I specialize in miniature origami and have created designs of my perception of traditional and non-traditional origami art. The normal 4 inch and 6 inch squares of origami paper that most use for origami art, has for me, turned into 1/4 inch squares.

    A professional career began in 1996 with a small article in the local newspaper. Many have claimed that pictures alone cannot do justice to my works. Everyone who has seen my creations in person are in awe and amazement at the size. Most are only about the size of an uncooked grain of rice. And the smallest cannot be photographed in detail because it is as small as a sesame seed. There are some who collect my new works every year. My dream is to have my miniatures collected by many worldwide. It makes me very happy when my creation brings a smile to the faces of many who gaze at them.

main page