Art captures a passion and communicates it to the viewer.  Every time I see an animal or a bird, I immediately want to involve myself in its existence, to describe its form and presence, and to uncover its identity. The eyes are always my starting point: once I have those in place, I feel I can see into the soul and find the path to the portrait.

Although I work across all media, I particularly like the roughness and grittiness of charcoal and pastel – organic materials to describe organic beings. Over a few weeks, I add, take away, add more again until I am happy with my invention. My studio floor becomes a heap of dust and rubber flakes, broken pastel and charcoal sticks and the discarded wrappings of many erasers.

Some of my favourite birds are in the Corvid family and I have been travelling round the UK looking at the intelligent, resourceful and frequently hilarious antics of various rooks, ravens, magpies and crows. For their portraits, I have been using ink: it coincides so beautifully with their dark and graceful fluidity.

From ink, I have moved into collage for my latest series. I love the slightly 3D, sculptural effect of layering paper and card over and over until the subject comes alive and seems ready to stride off the page. My desk fills up with pots of glue, brushes, scalpels, and tweezers, the studio awash with sheets of coloured paper – bought, painted, torn from magazines, or randomly sourced when I am out and about. Magpie-like, I have an eye for glitter and booty to bring back to my nest.