I took a collage art class several times in a row. The assignments varied except for this one that the instructor liked but I grew to hate. The assignment was called Altered Dictionary Page. We'd each find a word that moved us, tear out that page from an old dictionary and use it in a collage or assemblage somehow.

I didn't like it to start with. It seemed boring. But I tried. I took oil pastels to a fragile old dictionary page. The lack of an image shall speak for that attempt.

Next time I found the word 'bore', tore out that page, tore it into little strips, piled them all on top of each other, topped it with the piece that said 'bore'.

The third time I found the word 'tire', ripped the sheet into little strips, glued them into a little cylinder and drew tire marks.

Finally, I felt I'd earned the right to speak my mind about this silly assignment. I went home and within a half hour I saw the following captions for all of the pictures below. Practically every picture I saw screamed its caption out at me. I could barely keep up with the outpouring of anti-ADP expressions. It felt great!

And for any art instructors out there, I say that this instructor is absolute tops in my book because she did not try to keep me from doing this and she was as supportive of my results as anyone else's. For that I am ever grateful. I wish more instructors, especially those of adult ed art classes, for heaven's sakes, would ease up a bit and be more flexible for students to follow their muse or frustrated inner art child or whatever. Thank you, Catie O'Leary who teaches collage at the Palo Alto Art Center!!