Artist Linda Shaffer creates intricately layered abstract collages based on her worldly travels. My defining art moment was when I was eleven years old and I got to visit Van Briggle Pottery in Colorado Springs, says Linda. I watched mesmerized as the potter working on the wheel created a beautiful piece of art as if by magic from a lump of brown wet mud. I knew someday I would create those beautiful pieces of magic. After high school, Linda became a registered nurse. On her days off, she made pottery at a local studio. As her nursing career progressed – from labor and delivery to ICU and trauma, and then college nursing – she returned to school for her bachelor’s in business administration. Every elective she chose was an art class, and she built her own clay studio. Eventually, Linda earned her master’s in public health and became a tenured college professor. She was delighted that the job allowed her to take art classes every semester, where she discovered painting and printmaking. Linda retired early from teaching and wanted to learn more about fine jewelry, so she attended the Gemological Institute of America. Since 2011, she has been working full-time as a painter and jeweler. When Linda's not making art, she enjoys golfing with a close circle of friends. She's made two hole-in-ones and plans for more.