"Life, the natural cycle of life and natural phenomenon in nature has been inspirational for me. I live in the moment and create work. Its like my diary. Everyday life and all living things become the source of my creativity.

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Paper has always been a part of my life. I was born and grew up in a traditional Japanese house and there were so many “Fusuma screens and Shoji screens” that created space and made walls. There were always beautiful hanging scrolls. Paper is a core material in Japanese architecture, as well as in every aspect of Japanese culture.

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Since I was a young child I have liked to make things with paper, it was one of my everyday things. I played with Origami, which is traditional child's play in Japan. My father was an architect and brought me lots of cast -off blueprints from his office. I would draw on the backside of the paper with pencil and make many objects out of this paper. When I first moved to Los Angeles, the first material I used in my work was brown paper bags that I used to carry groceries in from the supermarket to my apartment. Before I knew it, my apartment was full of stacks of these bags. I enjoyed making small sculptures with them. Soon, my living room turned into my little studio. It's because of my personal history that I work with paper, a basic, simple material of everyday life. I find such beauty in paper."

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- Echiko Ohira