Origami art brings Kent student closer to Washington, D.C.

Some artists work their whole lives and never get to see their pieces hang in a gallery.

But that will never be a problem for 11-year-old Brielle Creaser who in April opened her first show displaying her “origami quilt” artwork, patterns of folded paper that when put together form beautiful designs.

“It’s really fun to make so I want to keep making it,” Creaser said. “I like abstract art; it looks cool to me.”

So far, the Lake Youngs Elementary sixth-grader has sold more than 20 of the pieces, part of a fundraiser to help send her to the Junior National Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C.

So far, she’s earned about $800 from her artwork.

Creaser said she learned the basic idea and shapes from her school librarian two years and began to develop the pieces on her own.

A neighbor saw the first piece she did and commissioned her to make a second.

“That was the first thing I sold,” she said with a big smile.

“It just started rolling from there,” said mother Marlene Creaser.

The Creaser family plays music, but according to the family, Brielle has always been artistic, with the family’s adhesive tape always disappearing into her room as she made new artwork.

Now, the family buys her special papers and colors and Brielle designs her art based on the season and mood.

She calls them “origami quilts” because of the paper folding and the quilt-like nature of the finished pieces. But while she made the pieces for fun, she never really saw them as money makers.

“I was surprised she wanted to buy one,” Brielle said of the neighbor.

This year, Brielle applied to display her work at Carco through the Renton Arts Commission and was accepted. Her work also has been shown at Covington City Hall and the Kent Covenant Church Fireside Gallery.

These days, Brielle has a back order and spends much of her spare time folding paper to try and raise the money for her trip. She is also branching out from simple quilt designs, creating patterns and images that resemble other things, such as an American Flag, a piece on which she was working this past month.

She also uses different papers and colors to add something new to the piece and lately, a favorite among buyers has been those created out of paper with a musical pattern.

Priced on average from $75-100, Brielle’s work is selling well.

“People are so supportive,” said Marlene, whose favorite piece is still Brielle’s first, “Diversity.”

For Brielle, making money is nice, but she also still enjoys the process of folding each square and placing in the larger form.

“I’m just going to keep making my art because I can do that whenever I want,” she said.

While her most recent show in Renton may be over, Brielle’s fundraising goes on at her blog, http://origamiquilt.blogspot.com/, where visitors can see and purchase her work.

ORIGAMI: The Japanese art of folding paper into decorative shapes and objects.

VIEW CREASER’S WORK: While her most recent show in Renton may be over, Brielle’s fundraising goes on at her blog, http://

origamiquilt.blogspot.com/, where visitors can see and purchase her work.