A lot of the people I teach and guide are animal lovers. I think if you are interested in art, you tend to have a love of nature in general. That is because it offers such visual delight.

The animals we look at offer a huge range of skill and pleasure, as their forms tend to be complex and are very different to our own. This allows us to reach out beyond our own bodies and to really look and observe their differences.

Animals also offer comfort and relaxation, so in turn have a calming effect, as the person drawing, painting or sculpting their choice of animal, is indirectly connecting with this animal and therefore is transported.