I've been painting abstracted birds into some of my canvases for a few years now. Usually negative space painting - where you don't paint the bird itself so much as describe it by painting around it - like a Matisse cut-out. For me - and I suspect for most people - birds represent freedom. So that's an appealing symbol to work with. I decided to do some small, closeup up bird paintings and really explore the shape of the bird and enjoy the play of colour and texture.

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.