My work is driven by a desire to make the natural work unnatural.

The process of collecting, classifying and displaying leads my practice. I have made Victorian-style curiosity cabinets, 'painted' using the natural colours of shells and used timber grain to create images. These practices have brought me to my current work: Depicting birds and insects in new 'worlds'. By moving evolution on a step these creatures embrace religion and military order, they play out new narratives and create new status quos. 

My paintings are informed by the work and theories of the great natural historian and collector, Charles Darwin as well as contemporary studies of animal behaviour such as swarm theory. I look to traditional painting styles such as Audubon for inspiration. I paint by building up intricate layers of watercolour, acrylic, pastel, enamel and pen. The main body of a painting is often surrounded by stripes - the 'DNA' at the heart of the painting.

I live and work in Bristol and exhibit nationally. 

Lucy Fraser, 2011