A Message from the Artist
My father taught me how to fold my first origami crane when I was about six years old. Since then, origami is not just my favourite past time, it also represents one of my fondest childhood memories. Origami is a beautiful piece of art that is always admired when it's displayed. When given as a gift, it is forever treasured. It would be difficult to find anyone who wouldn't appreciate a single origami crane enclosed in a gift card or displayed in the hundreds at a special occasion. Origami reflects the ideals of hard work, perseverance and patience as well as peace, faith and hope.
The Artist's Bio
Cindy Y. Ho was born and raised on the west coast of British Columbia, Canada . During her childhood to early adulthood she enjoyed folding origami and honed her folding skills. As time past, she developed past the stage of the traditional crane to complex models such as modular models, flowers, butterflies and dragons that she enjoyed giving away as gifts. However, as she entered the post secondary stage of her educational life, her focus shifted from her hobby to studying and preparing herself for the workforce. Her origami papers and books soon collected dust.
After graduating with honours from British Columbia 's Institute of Technology (BCIT) in 1999, she excelled as a Buyer and Materials Planner in the demanding industry of electronics contract manufacturing. In 2006, she and her husband were blessed with their first child. A few months into her maternity leave, she found her dusty papers and books and revived her long lost passion - origami. After reminiscing her friend's wonderment when they received an origami gift, she felt that other people would enjoy them as well. Her entrepreneurial spirit was stirred and taught herself to build a simple website and started an online store devoted to origami gifts and crafts. After returning to the workforce, Cindy continued to practice origami and experimented with new papers. She proudly showcased her work on flickr and Facebook.
In 2009, her family were blessed with their second child. During her maternity leave, Cindy upgraded her web design skills and her online store. She expanded West Coast Origami with Etsy, Artfire and Zibbet online marketplaces devoted to handmade products.
