There is an animal inside us all, as figurative artist Keith Maiden shows in his haunting new Daemons collection. The selection of original artworks was launched at our Derby gallery on Saturday and is now available to buy online. Centred on the concept of daemons (‘guiding spirits’), the body of work draws inspiration from Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy and Leonardo da Vinci’s 1489 masterpiece, ‘Lady with an Ermine’. Keith explains: “I really liked the connection between humans and wild animals.” The pieces are created with graphite, oil, acrylic and pastel and explore themes of family values, trust, love and friendship. Keith has added subtle earth tones to his usual monochromatic palette, adding: “They are a touch surreal in a dark and beautiful way.”