Helen Ward’s work was inspired by a very rare collection of hand-marbled papers that were beautifully designed and created in the Victorian era and acquired by Helen during her time working at a bindery. Cocooned for years, Helen caringly selects individual pieces of paper and with delicate precision cuts each piece to create the butterflies, moths, beetles and bugs that feature in her artwork.
"I just prefer to draw animals. I don't really like humans," she says apologetically. "When I do draw them, people find imperfections, whereas they'll much more easily accept the look of an animal. I do draw from life sometimes, but sheep, for example, always end up on the other side of the field - I suppose they see me as a predator. So I simply observe and remember. Once I've drawn the animal's head, then I get the feel of it. I use photographs and wildlife films to see how the bones go, how the animal moves. I do masses of drawing." Helen Ward
