Mel Sawyer is a Portland origami & paper artist who specializes in origami lamps. She previously participated in Portland Open Studios in 2024 & has had her work in a number of galleries, as well as OrigamiUSA exhibitions.
Each of her works is created with, at minimum, 30 sheets of paper, and some are made from thousands of sheets and take upwards of 12 months to complete. She's inspired by the ways that light can cast unexpected patterns through paper, and how her work combines mathematical geometry with visual arts for a truly unique medium.
"My relationship with folded paper began in 8th grade geometry class, where boredom and a sheet of paper led to something I've never stopped doing. That early intuition deepened through a degree in computer science and math at Columbia, where I spent as much time thinking about how paper comes together as I did in the classroom. I'm drawn to the intersection of mathematics, material, and function. Each lamp is a problem to solve and a form to discover - and after years of making, I feel like I'm still finding new things in the fold. My work is handmade, one lamp at a time, in Portland." |
Media: Paper Art (including Paper Cutting, Quilling)
Studio Number: 28
Address: 1435 NE Junior St Portland OR 97211
Community: NE Portland
Accessibility: Not Wheelchair accessible
Email: melaniensawyer@gmail.com
Website: origamel.com
Instagram: @origamel
