This 9" x 12" altered book's theme is based on an acrostic using my first name, LINDA.

L ife
I bis
N aiad
D alhia
A dventure

I painted the covers, photo 1, with gesso. Next I built up many colors of acrylic paint. Then I glued down pieces of torn tissue paper, netting, ribbon, clip art to represent all the words above, mica, puzzle pieces, corrugated cardboard pieces, lettering, and feathers. Photo 2 is on the title page and was inspired by a Claudine Hellmuth collage. The background is soft pastels-light blue, lavender, and white-from Lyra-Aquacolor crayons. The main image is a photo of one of my favorite sculptures, The Winged Victory of Samothrace, which I saw in the Louvre one summer during my high school years (The real sculpture is missing her neck and head). I used her to represent the word, Naiad. I stamped the letter "N" in white all around the sculpture. I printed out the definition of naiad, tore around it and aged it with brown shoe polish. The wings are edged with real buttons. I finished Victory off with a crown created from the tin of a tea candle. On the left page, Photo 3, I utilized the large color picture of trees, original to the book, in my composition. The right page is half of a double spread of heavy cream colored tracing paper that I sewed into the book with a 4-hole pamphlet stitch through the inside edge of the title page.

This "Delicate Nest" altered book was begun in a workshop with Catherine Moore, artist and owner of Character Constructions stamps. I completed the front cover, photo 1, in the workshop. Then I went home and immediately finished the back cover, photo 6, with my own original collage ideas. Over many weeks I decorated the double page spreads above with collage and drawing. Photo 2 is the front inside cover and title page. Photo 3 is a 2-page spread commemorating John James Audubon, the famous American bird artist. I glued light blue tissue paper over the book text. Then I drew the trees with Lyra-Aquacolor crayons. The birds, portrait of Audubon, and other images are clip art. Photo 4 is a 2-page spread with a typed description of Nature Journaling on the left and my written description of the workshop on the right side. Photo 5 is a 2-page spread which I titled "Lady Catherine of Jubilee" in honor of Catherine Moore. The paper doll lady on the right page was designed by Catherine. I cut her out and put her together in a "Make-In-Take" at the same Altered Jubilee Convention where I took this workshop. The backgrounds of both pages were created digitally and printed on tracing paper. Most of the collage images are from clip art and magazines. The Bird Woman painting at an easel in the upper left corner of the left page was created with one of Catherine's La Belle Epoque Character Construction stamps.

I created these two "Teacher Collages" as gifts for teachers who were retiring from Mountain View Elementary School where I taught art for 10 years. For many years, I facilitated a group of teachers who volunteered to create collages as a gift for each teacher who was retiring from Mtn. View. The focal point of each collage was a wonderful poem commemorating teachers. I printed the poem on transparent vellum. Each teacher artist either cut or tore out the poem. The background was scrapbook paper with a variety of torn papers, magazine and clip art images, embellished with ribbon, beads, buttons, etc. I developed the "Teacher Collages" through the inspiration of a colleague who wanted to recognize retiring teachers in a more memorable way than buying a gift.

"Vignettes of White" is 28" x 36" mixed-media collage which I created from being inspired by a Somerset Studio magazine challenge. The base is Arches Cover paper with paint, tissue paper, magazine images, photographs layered and embellished with lace, buttons, a buckle, ribbon, and plastic mesh. I stitched the edges of the collage with white satin ribbon.

"3 Sisters" is a 5" x 7" beeswax collage featuring myself, center, and my two sisters, Barbara Carol, on my left, and Ginny, on my right. The photo was taken in Greenville, S.C. on the first trip the 3 of us took together as adults. We had an incredible time!

"Amanda" is a beeswax collage that I created in Claudine Hellmuth's class. It is an 8" x 10" canvas featuring my maternal Grandmother, Amanda Keck Diebel. The central photo is of Amanda as a little girl, all dressed up in her finery. Upper left is a photo of Amanda in her nurses uniform. Lower left is a photo of Amanda with her two children, my Mother, Barbara Diebel Greiss and my Aunt, Ruth Diebel Timte. The entire collage is attached with beeswax. The background is layered first with tissue paper and then floral paper to suggest antique wallpaper. I then tore strips of the floral paper away to reveal the tissue paper.