
Think the fold. Become the fold. Forget the fold. Everything in my art is about interconnectedness …coming alive, like a dreamcatcher that lures the true self to a place of deep intimacy. The closeness of this connection is what inspires me, because intimate togetherness with oneself, with others, and with the world can be our deepest yearning, and also…our biggest fear.
This is how artist Paula Pietranera, a San Francisco–based artist in residence at San Francisco Zen Center, gives voice through her creations to something almost beyond words: that true connection is profoundly spiritual and deeply meaningful—beyond the reach of the thinking, logical mind.
Paula creates her artwork by using the paper-folding “Renzuru” technique. “Renzuru” means “conjoined cranes.” This is an ancient, advanced Japanese art form where several cranes are created from one single sheet of paper, employing a number of strategic cuts to form a mosaic of semi-detached, smaller squares. This process involves folding all cranes without breaking the small paper bridges that link them to one another. The resulting cranes are attached at the tips of the beaks, wings, or tails, which create a pattern that is central to her creative expression.
Paula will be hosting an Open Studio weekend on October 18–19.
Open hours: 10 am – 5 pm
Her studio is at 308 Page St. in San Francisco. You can also explore her work online at
paulapietranera.com or contact her at art@paulapietranera.com
All are welcome to stop by, meet the artist and see the art where it’s created.
Through the fluidity and spontaneity of the brush strokes and the precision and detail of the paper folds, Paula’s art invites you to get closer, to connect, and explore. Paper cranes and sumi ink come together in a subtle way that can only be discovered within the stillness of intimate, mindful attention—connection that speaks directly to the heart.
Maybe the most powerful way to convey the depth of Paula’s impact is through the voices of those who have experienced her work firsthand.
Reverend Marvin Harada, Bishop of the Buddhist Churches of America, reflected:
“Through her artwork, she expresses the Buddhist teaching of interconnectedness, in that the many cranes folded are still all from the same piece of paper. Such beautiful artwork is a unique way to share this teaching.”
Dr. Paula Arai, author of Painting Enlightenment, shared:
“Fueled by awareness that our interconnectedness means suffering is shared, Paula Pietranera folds compassion into each embodied prayer, poised to take flight. Her strokes of wisdom quietly weave us together in a fluid and healing embrace.”
Kazuaki Tanahashi, author of Painting Peace, described Paula’s art as:
“A fusion of Argentinian architectural precision and the Japanese traditional craft of Renzuru, or linked paper cranes, Paula Pietranera’s artwork—with its astounding composition and color scheme—fills me with wonder.”
Dr. Mark Levy, Professor Emeritus of Art History at California State University, observed:
“Paula Pietranera has reinvented Renzuru into a highly sophisticated contemporary art form that goes beyond folk art in both style and content.”
About Paula Pietranera
Born in 1979 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Paula graduated as an architect and later specialized in historical building conservation and restoration.
During her studies, she felt a deep spiritual connection to Asian arts, which led her to study sumié, origami, and calligraphy in Argentina, Japan, and the United States. When living in Japan in 2015, she discovered the Renzuru (conjoined cranes) origami technique for which she trained with the master Mizuho Tomita in Kyoto. For the last decade, she’s been exploring ways in which this traditional paper-folding technique can be an expressive medium of fine artwork. Her creations have been exhibited in Argentina, Japan, Spain, Austria, and the USA.











