"Eco Art by mayah" is made from recycled and earth friendlier art materials. This art piece is made from reused materials: photos from magazine and merchandising catalogs, cardboard and other paper products; gold chocolate bar wrapper; faux bamboo frame from Goodwill Industries. One sheet of art paper. Nontoxic glue. 1/2 inch origami frogs hand made by mayah from reused business envelope and seed beads (eyes).

Odd numbers are used in this art piece:  One Buddha statue and seven frogs. The frog in the upper left hand side is not inside the frame; he sits on top of the glass, peering in.

The 7 frogs are my way of giving a "nod" to the Shichi Fukujin, or the Seven Gods of Fortune (or the Seven Lucky Gods) from Japanese mythology and folklore:
Hotei, god of abundance and good health
Jurojin, god of longevity
Fukurokuju, god of happiness, wealth and longevity
Bishamonten, god of warriors
Benzaiten(Benten-sama, goddess of knowledge, art, and beauty--especially music
Daikokuten(Daikoku, god of wealth, commerce, and trade
Ebisu, god of fishermen or merchants, often depicted carrying a sea bream.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Lucky_Gods


Why odd numbers? Japan is an odd number culture, compared to Western cultures where even numbers are prefered. For example, if you were to go out and buy drinking glasses in the U.S., you'd find that the glasses come packaged in even numbers, with four to eight glasses to a package being typical. In Japan, items are sold in odd numbers of 3, 5, or 7. The number 2 is associated negatively with dividing or separating; 4 is considered to be bad luck as it is associated with death; and 6 means "good for nothing" http://www.osaka-ue.ac.jp/gakkai/pdf/ronshu/2006/5701_ronko_nishiyama.pdf


"Origami (from ori meaning 'folding', and kami meaning 'paper'; kami changes to gami due to rendaku) is the traditional Japanese art of paper folding, which started in the 17th century AD at the latest and was popularized outside of Japan in the mid-1900s. It has since then evolved into a modern art form. The goal of this art is to transform a flat sheet of paper into a finished sculpture through folding and sculpting techniques, and as such the use of cuts or glue are not considered to be origami. Paper cutting and gluing is usually considered kirigami." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oragami


Origami instructions online using photographs; Great for Kids! http://www.origami-instructions.com/


*"A group of frogs is called an army, a chorus or a colony, whereas a group of toads is called a knot." http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_a_group_of_frogs_called



Related Blogs:

New! "Frog Nirvana" http://curezone.com/blogs/fm.asp?i=2004654  I just couldn't get enough of origami frogs!
i
Eco Art: Japanese Tree of Life http://curezone.com/blogs/fm.asp?i=1988197#i 


Eco Art: Great Bear/Sky Spirits http://curezone.org/blogs/fm.asp?i=1993821

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