Mom's Birthday

Please help me in welcoming Tammy Wilder to Scrapiteria! Here's what she has to say about collage:

I started making collages right after I got sober 5 years ago and was in desperate need of something to occupy all the free time I suddenly had. I didn't realize it would become such a huge part of my life. I recently uprooted my life and started over in a different town largely because I wanted more time, and a better environment, for making collages. If I had to pick one artist that has influenced me the most, I would say Romare Bearden. Seeing his show at the SF MOMA a few years ago was my turning point. I'm inspired by lots of things, but mostly by the feelings I get from stories I hear or tell or imagine. I love stories--I used to want to be a fiction writer but I wasn't any good at writing details, and it's awfully hard to write a good story without details. With collage I get to tell a story, or the way it feels, and leave the details of the story up to you. I like that. It's perfect for me.