By Lindsay Peyton
What most people would consider a pile of junk mail, old paperwork and discarded magazines looks totally different in West Seattle resident Linda McClamrock’s eyes.

She sees art supplies in paper of all varieties – from a mail order catalogue and sewing patterns to sheet music or the tissue paper in which a shopkeeper wraps a purchase.

McClamrock carefully cuts out words from articles to create messages in her pieces, builds mosaics from tiny selections of images and replaces brush strokes with strips of torn paper in her desired palette.

" I use whatever paper I can get my hands on," she said.

McClamrock’s most recent collages are currently on display in her first solo show, held in the Burien City Hall, 400 SW 152 St. The space is located on the third floor of the Library building and open during business hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday through the end of March.

The show is entitled DzEvery Season Has Its Own Beauty.dz She explained that the inspiration came from bare trees in winter, after their leaves have fallen.

" It’s a reminder that there’s beauty in every season, not just the ones where it’s easy to see,"
McClamrock said.

Grace Stiller, who serves on the board of trustees for the Burien Arts Association, has been coordinating the organization’s pop-up gallery shows.

She explained that curators select the artists to exhibit at each venue – and that McClamrock’s work stood out.

"Her style is sophisticated yet whimsical,dz Stiller said." We were really impressed with her and her skill."

Stiller said that she was struck by the fact that McClamrock is a self-taught artist, who has a background in business and music.

"She’s very technical and precise – and that reflects in her collages," Stiller said. DzThey show a lot of emotion and depth."

McClamrock recently retired from a career as a software engineer – and now dedicates much of her time to making art, playing piano and cello and singing.

Art has been a fairly recent addition to her repertoire. A little more than five years ago, she mentioned to an artist friend that she wanted to try collage.

"She gave me paint, paintbrushes, cardboard, stamps, all kinds of materials," McClamrock recalled. "I went home and played with it. I had so much fun, and I just got hooked."

A few months later, she was already selling her work and displaying her pieces in venues around town.

"There’s nothing better than people wanting to take what you’ve made home and hanging it up on their walls," McClamrock said.

Her pieces showcase vignettes of nature, birds, flowers and people.

She is already busy creating new pieces in preparation for summer art festivals. "I have to have a lot of stuff ready to go," she said.

McClamrock said that exploring her inner artist has been a joyful experience. DzI discovered something I loved in something I didn’t even know I could do," she said. " It’s been a great surprise."

She added that each time she creates a collage is like embarking on a new adventure.

"I’m always intrigued by how it’s going to come out, figuring out a puzzle of how I can use these humble ingredients to make something," she said." Since I’m a self-taught artist, it’s just trial and error – and I like that."

McClamrock’s collages are available online at www.etsy.com/shop/LindaMcClamrock. Follow her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LindaMcClamrockRecycledPaperCollage. To learn more about Burien Arts Association, including ways to support the group or sign up to display artwork, visit http://burienarts.org.