In 1980, Ling and her family moved from a smaller house to a bigger one. In order to decorate the new house, Ling shopped around for a painting that would suit the style of her new home. The more she searched, the more she realized that if she wanted to get an exquisite work of art, it would cost quite a sum. But at the same time, she did not want to settle for some cheap but second-rate painting. While she was still struggling in this dilemma, she saw something in a handiwork shop that captured her attention. It was a collage made from the colorful wings of butterflies. Back in those days, Taiwan was dubbed "the Kingdom of Butterflies" because the still undeveloped island abounded in butterflies of various species, and ornamental decorations made from the beautiful creatures could often be seen. When Ling saw how the wings of butterflies were pieced together to create a work of art, an idea struck her. She thought of the many small scraps of fabric she had at home that were left over from dressmaking and remnant sheets of plywood from the interior decorating project of her new home. "If the wings of butterflies can be put together to create a picture, so can my scraps of cloth," she said to herself. "And those sheets of plywood can serve as my canvases." Ling always got straight A's in art classes when she was a student, and her paintings were often shown to her classmates as examples of well-executed art. "Why don't I just create something myself since I can't find one to my liking?"

With this in mind, she set out to work on her fabric collage project. Because it was something completely new for her--at least she had never seen anyone do it before, and there were no books or information available which taught the art--she had to experiment and try it out on her own. "It was a complete mess when I first began. There were fragments of cloth scattered all over our living room when I was working. My husband, who is extremely fond of tidiness and order, frowned and complained every time he saw the mess. In the end, he couldn't bear it anymore and he yelled, 'Just take some money and go buy a painting. How can you possibly produce any presentable artwork out of rubbish?'"

The disheartening comment did not dampen Ling's creative spirit, however; it just pushed her to work harder. "I have an obstinate personality. The more my husband doubted my ability, the more determined I was to finish my project and show that I could do it." By and by, as her collage work gradually took shape, she began to detect a marked change in her husband's attitude. He did not complain or protest about the untidiness and clutter any more; instead, he would stop at her side to watch her work and even utter some words of praise. Sometimes he even gave her advice on where he thought she could make improvements. One month later, when the work was completed and hung up in their new living room, he even proudly presented it to visiting friends and relatives. "The transformation in my husband's attitude gave me a lot of encouragement, and the praise that came from those who saw my work further enhanced my confidence. I felt that I really had some talent for art. After that, I continued to produce more cloth pictures in my free time, and I even attended classes that taught oil and watercolor painting to improve my artistic skills."

Ling says that to produce a cloth collage, all one needs are scissors, some scrap fabrics or old clothes, a wooden board or a sheet of cardboard, and a bottle of glue. (She used to obtain her scrap fabrics free from dressmakers or from fabric shops, but now she has a fashion designer friend who provides her with material.) The steps involved are also simple and uncomplicated. First she separates the pieces of cloth she has at hand into heaps of different colors. Then she makes a rough sketch on her canvas, cuts out the desired shapes from cloth of the chosen colors, applies glue, and then pastes the cloth on the canvas. When everything is in its right place and the created picture is what she wants, she irons the collage surface with a steam iron until it is smooth and even. Then the picture is ready to be mounted and framed. As easy as it all sounds, however, there are still some challenges involved. "The difficult part is that you have to make do with the colors you have at hand," explains Ling. "It's not like oil or watercolor painting, where you can create your desired shade or tint by mixing different colors together. You have to make the best use of the fabrics at hand to create what you want--including achieving the effect of light and shade, depth, perspective, and so on."

Under her deft fingers, a few inconspicuous scraps of cloth can develop into a nude woman, a charming still life, or an enchanting landscape. It is hard not to marvel at her creativity and ingenuity. She has held several exhibitions to showcase her creations, which are loved by many people. He Zhao-qu, an established artist who is also Ling's painting teacher, praises her art: "Ling demonstrates a confident dexterity in her use of colors and forms. Her color is bold and creative, her style fresh and lively. There's a pleasing harmony in her seemingly spontaneous composition and arrangement. It's quite a refreshing experience looking at her work."

For some personal reasons, there was an interruption of ten years during which Ling did not produce any work. Last year, she picked up her scraps of cloth again to create her unique artwork, and an exhibition was staged this year from January 6 to 18 in Taipei to display both her old and new creations. At the exhibition venue, cards and calendars copied from her original artwork were sold, and the proceeds went to the Jiang Xue-zhu Scholarship Foundation to help poor students.

Ling shares the happiness she derives from producing cloth collages. "When you see a pile of useless rags or scrap fabrics transformed into one lovely picture after another under your hands, the joy of accomplishment is immeasurable." She encourages everyone to try their hand at the art. "Whether you are good at painting or not, you can all derive a lot of fun from the simple cut-and-paste art. It costs little, it's easy to learn, and it can even help us turn garbage into wealth." Perhaps we can all learn from Ling and try to bring our creativity into play and enjoy the do-it-yourself happiness--we may discover some untapped talent in us while we have a little creative fun.