“To my mind there are a couple of ways to approach animal art: focus on the symbolism of the animal as an icon; or, consider the individual animal a character in a story.

“I tend to go with the latter. I have also come to believe that to present an interesting character that is true to the nature of the animal, one must have a handle on the anatomical realities of the subject.

“Here’s where it gets complicated, the two approaches are not mutually exclusive. Sometimes the story is informed by the animal as icon. But, in general, when you see my work, you see an individual with its own story to tell.”