During lockdown, I went for a walk in Abney Park Cemetery and admired the stone angels. They seemed so loving and peaceful. As though they were watching over the dead as a parent would watch over a child, sleeping. It was a sunny day, with blue sky and dappled light through the leafy trees. I came home and made two A2 colour sketches and then went on to do a series of paintings about stone angels coming to life and playing in the fountains in Granary Square. My angels may have come from the cemetery but they’re not spooky - at least not to me - ahd I figured they deserved some time off.

Catherine Pring

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As with most artists, I paint about the human condition. I paint things that have impact for me and that I hope other people can relate to, connect with. I often use myths and legends as a starting point for my paintings but I work unconsciously so I can veer off at a tangent or change course completely. Making art is a bit like dreaming for me. I let things suggest themselves and go with it. If I don't love the 'finished' painting, I spin the canvas and start again. The previous painting becomes an under-layer. A hidden or partially hidden part of the painting's history. Each canvas tells a story in itself but sometimes canvases have their own story of evolution as well, their own journey, just as we do. It's a very playful process, it's fun - but it's serious fun.