When I walk the dog through my town now, I sometimes think back to my passion for collecting herbariums back then and the pleasure I got out of it. This attentiveness to my surroundings was there from an early age, and I still have an eye for detail. I often see the beauty in small everyday things. A beautiful field with poppies, the blossom of a Japanese cherry on the corner of the street, the morning light falling so beautifully on the leaves of a tree, a vista in a landscape. I often then take a photograph to capture this. In my studio, I work out these natural treasures on canvas. This is how I try to pass on the beauty I find in nature to others.