My sources of inspiration of my ‘free’ artwork always have a mystical side to them. Thinking about my Celtic landscapes, and my quests to search for stories behind my subjects, sometimes with a spiritual touch. Quite regularly I use animal symbolism, only when it touches me personally at that specific moment. This way I can go into the process of manifestating just that where the animal stands for. I like keeping my inspiration close to source, no commercial tricks. Other examples of my animal symbolism are the peacock and the white stork. In my 2nd book I talk about 12 ways to get inspired (or find inspiration) for an animal painting. Using the wise knowledge of old cultures like animal symbolism are one of those ways. You can learn a lot about it through spiritual animal- or medicine oracle cards. (tarot cards) or by reading sjamanistic books like Animal-wise by Ted Andrews. My cat painting of an Egyptian Mau tells the ‘Nebamuns Tale’: going back to one of the first acknowledged moments in Art where cat and human bond together, during hunting.