As a painter and a photographer, I have always turned to the calming beauty of nature whenever I've felt down and anxious. After giving birth to my twins I started suffering from postnatal depression and anxiety, and by taking myself off to sit quietly in a small patch of woodland, I found I could lose myself in the process of creating designs directly onto the woodland floor using just the leaves, berries and twigs around me.

The magic of working in solitude, with just plants, trees or bushes around me, I see the little details and uniqueness of each one. The tiny wildflowers, the wonderful array of berries, the constantly changing colours and texture are my palette for the day. I am inspired by the forage, the excitement of not knowing what I will find, and never knowing what I will end up with after a creative free-flow.

For me it’s the ephemeral nature of the pieces that make it so special. I work outside in all weathers, sometimes trying to hold up an umbrella, protect myself and my creation from wind and rain, and hope that the piece lasts long enough for me to take a photograph before I walk away from it. I use no fixtures and so nature reclaims my materials, though sometimes magically the ground becomes stained by the berries I've used and gives me a coloured background to use for my next creation. If you look carefully at my works you might see these colours stained into in the ground, acting as a backdrop.