It seems like ages since I photographed Rob Ryan mainly because the year has just flown by. The shoot was one of my first of 2014 and has only just been published.

I remember it being a dark, damp evening as we made our way to his East London studio, and on arrival we discovered that he hadn’t been feeling too good with a nasty cold. However, that didn’t come through on the shoot at all. He was full of life, energy and although I didn’t have a great amount of time with him, himself and his studio assistants were hospitable to the max.

My friend Ben first introduced me to his work several years ago and since then his paper cut art has spread from the cutting mat to be emblazoned on porcelains, cards, journals, cushions and even sticky tape. I was mainly fascinated by his workspace though, which was full to the brim with colour, stationary and beautiful books and as alive with creativity and expression as the man himself.