In 1992, while attending the University of Arizona, I discovered that the photography department did not offer classes in Photoshop or Illustrator. However, the local community college offered both courses. At that time, I was told, there were only five certified Photoshop instructors in the entire country. I petitioned the Art department to allow me to receive credit for attending classes at the community college, which, by the way, was also well-attended by other university students. Photoshop and Illustrator became must-have classes.
The idea for my body piercing collage came during my painting class. The photo shoot lasted about five minutes. There were only a few students in the class who were not body-pierced. Creating the final collage took a considerable amount of time. Photoshop was relatively primitive back then. This was my first collage.