This story has begun with a cat… as a consequence of the pandemic that started on the Chinese New Year, to be exact. At that time, we lived in China. Many of our friends left for celebration to other countries and didn't manage to return before the borders were closed. This is how we got to look after Ruslan, a sizable lazy cat. The cat's favourite leisure was to lie on the back displaying his round belly. Since we lead a healthy lifestyle, we decided to teach the cat to move around.

The cat took his first walk on a balcony, amidst my garden beds with basil and fennel. I noticed how curious he was about flowers and floral frames. Ruslan became more active, he started hunting after a ribbon, playing with grass and fondly exploring my flower arrangements.

That day, I made a flower arrangement on a frame, and the cat came up to smell it, sticking his nose into a crown. It struck me that I could take a remarkable picture, so I picked up my camera. Ruslan's face was very expressive, although I have to admit it was his usual expression. I said "face" quite deliberately, for I did believe he was a human in his past life. Everyone adored that picture, it even won a prize, and I decided to keep working on this subject.

Flowers, as well as animals, bring grace to our world and the space around us, they are an integral part of nature. Each animal, just like each flower, has its own character that I try to depict in my artworks. The images I create portray animals wearing fresh flower accessories I make to emphasise their identical goal in the surrounding world.

I should like to make it clear that animals are just as beautiful as flowers. Modern society often talks about a problem of using animals for experiments or as a raw material. It is also important to talk about the social and cultural heritage that will be left for our children. We are surrounded by wildlife, we are a part of it. In my artworks I attempt to reflect the beauty of this symbiosis between animals, flowers and human creations. I try to show that animals of this world are important for general socialisation, our communication experience, education, and personal manifestation in this life.

This is how "Animals with floral character" project came to be. Each image emphasises the animal's personality. I gave them names that, in my view, reflect their essence and character the most.