Realism shrunk down to fit on the tip of a matchstick, that is.

"The hardest part of working so small is handling the tiny parts or animals. I am really quite clumsy and always dropping things that are never to be seen again! On top of all that, I cut the tendon in my thumb while carving and I can no longer bend it, which makes everything even harder to hold! Then there's making sure the tiniest of ears, toes, paws and beaks don't break. I'm constantly training myself to be aware of where I am putting pressure and making sure it is not in the wrong (most fragile) place. The easiest is the actual woodcarving. I love to carve my animals and it comes so natural. But I don't like sanding them and am not real thrilled with painting them, but it is exciting to make the paint jobs realistic."

Linda is completely self-taught, the artistic world coming to her as naturally as breathing. Day-to-day life, however, can be a separate challenge.

"Everything I do artistically comes naturally to me. It always has. However normal life completely eludes me! For the most part, I have no need for clocks and calendars - ironic as I have a clock in every room - and a pet peeve of mine is this time change nonsense. I never change my clocks, it's high noon, not high one.