PORTLAND, Oregon — At Powell's Books in Northwest Portland, crowds of people are always perusing the never-ending stacks for their next read. Some duck into Guilder Cafe, and as they wait for their coffee, something magical inevitably catches their eye: the art of Arnold Drake World.
"I can make this flower with my eyes closed," said World with a playful smile, twisting and shaping paper towels into elaborate floral sculptures. Beside him is a table full of his floral creations, including roses, morning glories and calla lilies.
"They're 100% napkin — no scissors, no glue, no tape, no wire," World told a curious passerby. "This series is based on the Fibonacci sequence; it's a mathematical formula for creating the universe."
You'll find the Fibonacci sequence in the spirals within certain seashells and plants; World simply applies it to two-ply.
He's been creating paper flowers for about 20 years now — as he puts it, "A hobby that got out of hand." It takes him about two hours to create each of his intricate flower sculptures and a lot less time than that to give them away.
Thursday through Sunday, World posts up at Guilder Cafe from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. He displays his work while creating new sculptures and engaging people in conversation. He also dazzles them with his crowd-pleasing sleight of hand, appearing to make pieces of paper float in midair.
"We're mystified!" said one woman with her toddler.
"What is ... how is he doing this?" asked a barista.
"There's gotta be some magic in there, I'm guessing!" said a tourist from England.
The chorus of exclamations is continuous as World delights people to no end. And then, it's back to making paper flowers and sharing them.
"World is an absolute fixture here," said Layla Gambari, who owns Guilder. "He makes magic; that's what I like to say. He obviously makes these really beautiful roses but what he's doing here is engaging people and just creating this magical experience for them."
At some point, World said he realized he could make a living out of his craft and continued to hone his skills.
"I kept at it," said World. "I'll be out of flowers by noon 'cause I'll give them all away."
World gladly accepts donations in person and online for his creations but doesn't expect anything — especially from the youngest recipients — just the joy of sharing his gift.
"A good smile and a laugh," said World. "That in itself is extremely rewarding."
World wrote an instructional book on making paper flowers which he sells called, "We Don't Fold, We Roll." He's also raising money through a GoFundMe to put toward repairing his RV.
People who receive World's paper flowers often find his creativity awe-inspiring.
"He gave (my son) this beautiful rose, which is worth a lot of money," said one woman. "So that is extremely kind, very generous, very unexpected."
"You just made my day, man!" squealed a young lady when World handed her a paper flower. Moments later she returned with a donation for him.
"Thank you! Appreciate it," said World, with a big smile.
The young lady showed the flower to her mom, and they marveled at it together.
"Beauty in the everyday," they said. "Out of everyday things."
