Searching for the Origami Illustration that changed my life!

[orizuru]

Hi everyone,

I mentioned in my introduction that this post was coming... I really am looking for all the help I can get from the origami community and illustration community, and I am hoping this forum will be helpful-- anything you have to say regarding ideas or slight memories would be most helpful!

OK, On With the Search:

I am searching for an ILLUSTRATION of a man riding an origami crane. This was an illustration I saw when I was about 5 years old, so around 1986 or so. This illustration profoundly changed my life in many ways, the most notable being:
1) I learned to draw and became an artist by copying the origami crane drawing
2) After drawing the origami crane for a few years I finally saw a folded one and began pursuing origami
3) After another couple of years I could finally fold the crane and opened up to more Japanese art & culture
4) As a result of my passion for origami and Japan, I finally moved to Japan where I live now

Again, this was a DRAWING of a man riding an origami crane from the mid-1980's, and it is likely not an image that has been scanned online yet. It was on the cover of a publication from around the time. I always thought it was Boston Globe related (as I lived in the Boston area at the time) but I have searched that publication to no end, and contacted every possible person I could.

So I am looking mostly for help from people who were into origami in the mid-1980's who may have taken note of or collected anything origami related, especially those who have a good memory. If you don't fit this description I'm still extremely happy to get suggestions for my search, or anything else you have to say!

The image was simple, geometric, and if I remember correctly the man had no facial features (almost as if he was origami himself). The image was mostly a blue and white pallet (the crane, man's shirt, and clouds were white-- the sky and man's pants blue). I will be happy to provide a sketch I have done from my memory, but first I am want to see if merely the description rings a bell with anybody.

Thank you so much-- looking forward to your replies!!

Greg in Japan

[FlareglooM]

Well here is a relatively lenghty reply on some things I found that in my opinion are too coincidental.
First I wanna say, I didn't live at the time, so this is from things I found on the internet.

Ok, there is a story which is called The Paper Crane. It is from Molly Bang. The story is about a restaurant owner who became poor because a highway was built that bypassed his restaurant. At one time an man came at his restaurant, who could not pay, but he gave the food anyway. The man payed the restaurant owner with a magic paper crane, which would dance when people clapped. Then he left. The crane became an attraction and people returned to his restaurant. At one day the man came back and retrieved his crane and flew away on it. The people did not leave his restaurant any more though, so he wasn't poor any more.

More elaborate see here: http://www.origami-resource-center.com/ ... crane.html

The main point is the bolded part. He flew away on the paper crane. It's something that you are looking for.

Lets elaborate further.
The Paper Crane by Molly Bang is first published in 1985 by Greenwillow Books. Which coincides with your timeline. What's even more amazing is that she lived in Massachusetts. (I believe it is the capital of Boston, I don't know when she lived there).
You were talking about you believed it was something Boston Globe related.
Well there is the Horn Book Award by the Boston Globe. It was rewarded to Molly Bang in 1986. There are Horn Book Magazine Covers (2000-2011 are visible as far as I know, see sources) and there should be magazines around that time so I wouldn't be surprised if you have seen the picture in one of those magazines.
I also found the book on the internet, there are no blue and white pictures in it as far as I have seen, so my gut says it was a thing made for the magazine.

This is what I got, I wish you good luck with it and I hope you manage to find it. (even if this does not help)

Sources:
http://archive.hbook.com/bghb/past/past.asp
http://archive.hbook.com/magazine/covers.asp
http://www.mollybang.com/Pages/awards.html

[origamiguy]

Great investigation Stacy. With your info I was able to search my local library for the Horn Book Magazine.

Unfortunately the oldest copies they have are Volume LXXV Number 1 (January 1998) - Volume LXXV Number 6 (December 1998).

Maybe Greg will knows someone in the Boston area that can check their local library.

[orizuru]

Thanks to everyone who read my post so far- I really appreciate it and I'm looking for all the help I can get!

Stacy and Brian, thank you so much for your replies. I was delighted to see them. Especially what Stacy put into it. I am really impressed and grateful.

A bit of background on my search:
During my college years (2000-2004) I searched through the Boston Globe in microfilm in the Boston Public Library almost every Saturday. At the time I was convinced I saw the illustration on the BG "TV Week" guide- which was a magazine-sized periodical included with the Globe. I didn't think I wouldn't find the illustration- I merely wondered how long it would take... when I got through every page from 1985 to 1990 I left the library one last time both surprised and discouraged....

So I took my search online. The first and most obvious possibility was "The Paper Crane" by Molly Bang-- it had all the right clues, and everything lined up perfectly. "It was a book and not the Globe all along!!" I thought. I contacted Molly Bang in August 2004 just before leaving for Japan for the first time. "Sorry, doesn't ring a bell" was the gist of her response... it was the first email I sent about my search. Since then I have sent an average of probably 1 or 2 a week up until now.

In June 2010 (just after arriving to Japan the second time) the possibility of it being a Horn Book cover was a new and very promising one, and I successfully contacted staff there who told me what I was searching for was not a Horn Book cover...

The illustration is definitely not the style of Molly Bang (her "paper crane" wasn't even actually origami) but based on all of the other info that matches up so well, I can't really rule out that it was a Horn Book cover I don't think... the staff could have missed something. Especially since the Horn Book covers link you posted says that they had special cover artists, so the art for the cover could definitely be different from the art from the book that got the award that particular month. Your response has made me think I should look into those cover artists or try to have someone I trust look through those covers personally, as suggested.

That said, thank you for the ideas and suggestions!! I'm looking forward to more, should anyone have any other ideas...

Thanks again,

-Greg in Japan

[FlareglooM]

Can I see your sketch?

[orizuru]

I'm quite happy to show my sketch now, and I will do it as soon as I figure out how (any tips would be helpful).... sorry

[Brimstone]

You can digitize your sketch using a scanner or a digital camera and then you can upload it to one of the free picture hosting services out there, Flickr, imageshack.us or if you have a gmail account, Picasa

Then you post here adding a link to the url of the picture, but not just a link, you use the "image" feature to display it here.

Use the help forum if you need more in depth instructions.

[Cherguevara]

Great investigation Stacy. With your info I was able to search my local library for the Horn Book Magazine.

[orizuru]

Hi everyone,

Thanks again for your help... the Horn Book possibilities really got me excited but I still haven't been able to confirm if the illustration that changed my life was on the Horn Book or not... yet. Still trying!

Life in Japan has been so busy because of the end of the fiscal year here, which is April, but I should be able to get back to the search again... so I will keep you posted. Please let me know if you have any other ideas.

Sincerely,

Greg

[HankSimon]

Here's a quick sketch:

http://home.roadrunner.com/~hanksimon/crane.jpg

[orizuru]

Oh Hank, I didn't realize you posted my sketch!!! Thank you! Actually I was just doing a google search as I sometimes do just to see if somehow the image appeared online yet and I found this... I was really surprised because I never put my sketch of it anywhere online.

So I hope many of you will look at this illustration and let me know if it rings a bell... I don't think it should stay online for very long because I'd rather not have this illustration be found when people are trying to help me find the original... if I describe and people tell me they saw it and send me a link to my own illustration it's going to be the biggest let down of my life... so please a take a look and and let me know, because I may request Hank to take it down soon!

Thanks everyone for your help!!!!

Greg Mudarri, still searching...

[HankSimon]

Greg -

As you can see, it's been there for a few months. Just let me know, and I'll break the link... not sure how to delete the post...

Based on (repetitive) replies you've received previously, you may have to take a long summer vacation in New England and New York, and personally knock on some doors....

- Hank

[Brimstone]

I don't think this is the one you're looking for, but it's worth a try, it is Norio Torimoto's book cover.