As an artist, I can think of no better way of representing a wild creature, than letting it represent itself.

After a long and thorough process of researching the animal’s habits: where they sleep, feed, drink and cross the land, I begin the recording process. This is where I collaborate with the individual creatures to allow them to make the drawings you see here.

The point in time when a drawing is made records the point where my life and the animal’s life crossed, as well as the actual event of the animal crossing the glass plate. The process of tracking and being sensitive to the animals habits continues to open my eyes to the world around us. We have a lot to learn and they have a lot to teach.

The materials are carbon and glass. The glass surface is coated with thin layer of carbon (from a flame) and time and care is taken to make sure this is uniform over the entire surface. I have to be aware of my scent being present on the glass plates as this would deter the animals from walking on them. Then, keeping a close eye on the weather (rain, frost, wind and dew can all ruin the delicate carbon surface) I choose a good time to lay the plates out, normally over night, in the hope of recording some tracks.

The animals’ feet lift off this extremely sensitive layer of carbon as they come in to contact with it. This leaves the finest details traced in the opaque carbon, which is then revealed when the glass is backlit using daylight or a lightbox.

The level of detail captured by this process is breathtaking. You can see a zoomed in view by clicking on any of the images below.