I read a lot and either a particular story or illustration will grab my attention. I mainly use fairy tales, particularly those by Hans Christian Anderson and the Brothers Grimm, and I enjoy bringing out the grotesque side of the story. I also go back to childhood favourites such as Alice in Wonderland. The stories I chose to work with normally have a melancholic feel which I try and translate into the work – the characters often seem to be lonely or sad and tend to be escaping from something. They also have an element of mystery and I don’t like to give too much away. But although the pieces are quite literary, they aren’t a straight re-telling of the story – they are my interpretation of it and contain a lot of my own emotions.