In the Making

When my mother was diagnosed with lung cancer, an unexpected companion appeared at her side. Lucky, a rescued desert dog who had once trusted nobody, quietly devoted herself to my mother's care, bringing comfort, laughter, and companionship during her final months.

In 2017, I began feeding a stray Arabian Mau cat outside my home in the Middle East. I named him Sparta after the film 300 because he guarded my doorway like a warrior. One day, when a vicious dog lunged towards me, Sparta stepped in front of me and faced the dog himself. By the time I returned to England in 2020, I already knew I could never leave him behind.

Most people think horses symbolise freedom. In my work, they represent something far more precise - truth, presence, and a connection that cannot be faked.

I was eight years old when I was told to kill a fly.

I didn’t want to. But I did it anyway.

And the moment it stopped moving, something in me shifted. It didn’t feel small. It didn’t feel like nothing.

What happened after stayed with me far longer than the act itself.