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Cheri Hunston, is the founder and owner of Wildwood Arts. Cheri, is a Dartmoor based, artist, illustrator, art gallery owner, teacher, writer and keen naturalist. She is known for her intricate magical realism and narrative-driven works inspired by the natural world.
Her detailed designs, attention to detail and meticulous draughtsmanship, uncover the often forgotten natural beauty hiding in plain sight.
“I am an artist and storyteller, who has never forgotten the way to fairyland.”
Cheri and Claude
From botanical to cartography, wildlife to landscapes and imaginary creatures, whatever her subject may be, there are stories, nature, beauty and magic weaving throughout.
Fern, ivy & Celandine study by Cheri Hunston
Her highly original style has flourishes of Victorian illustrations, Art Nouveau, Arts and Crafts and Magical Realism.
Illustration for Winter by Cheri Hunston
Her creations often revolve around characters and stories, drawing heavily from her academic background in literature and influenced by artists such as: Aubrey Beardsley, Arthur Rackham, George Cruikshank, John Tenniel, Walter Crane and Edmund Dulac to John Everett Millais, William Holman Hunt, John William Waterhouse to name just a few.
The symbology of flowers and the language of flowers used by the the Victorians also features in her work, along with a hidden love heart.
‘Wheel of the Year’ by Cheri Hunston, in watercolour
“I hope to reawaken in others that childhood enchantment in nature: to see with fresh glittering eyes, a world filled with wonder.”
Wren and Hazel Catkins by Cheri Hunston, in watercolour
Botanical illustration of oak leaves by Cheri Hunston
“To share the delights and beauty of the natural world with others, allowing them to peek behind the invisible veil into fairyland, revealing the magic in the mundane: the extraordinary within the ordinary. “
The Beech and the Dewdrop Jewels by Cheri Hunston
Cheri has exhibited in London with the Society of Graphic Fine Art and the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolour.
‘Inkling in the Library Light’ in mixed media by Cheri Hunston
‘Tristan & Isolde’ in ink by Cheri Hunston
As her work takes such a long while to create: Cheri is not prolific; consequently, her originals often sell to collectors before their completion.
‘Triskelion’ in ink & gold leaf by Cheri Hunston
To make her work more widely available, affordable and be enjoyed by more people, Cheri offers giclée limited editions of some of her originals.
Each limited edition is printed on cotton paper using print methods used by museums and is as close as possible to the original in colour and size.
They each come with a certificate of authenticity and a unique number.
‘The Walkham Valley’ in pen and ink by Cheri Hunston
Cheri is currently creating a magical realism nature book of Dartmoor and illustrating her children’s stories.
If not creating in the gallery or her studio, which overlooks the river and fields. Cheri can be found on the moors,climbing tors, in the woods, or by the river banks with her dog Claude.
‘The Path to Grimstone’ in watercolour by Cheri Hunston
On their walks they discover new characters and discover fragments of old stories or collect fallen leaves, feathers, nuts, stones, bark and bones to study.
‘Morning Light on the Down’ in watercolour by Cheri Hunston
Occasionally they just admire the light or the view and sometimes they venture into the dark places and poke about with a long twig to see what lurks beneath or within.
If you’d like to join them on their walks and see the creation of new works, then why not join them on Cheri’s blog: ‘Wild Walks’ or visit Wildwood Art Gallery and meet Cheri and Claude and view her work.
You might even want to start your own new journey and try your hand at painting, if so Cheri offers tuition too.
“It’s the soul and imagined character of the creatures that I endeavour to portray in my wildlife. They all have stories to tell. My aim is to present nature as I experience it: overflowing with stories, curiosities, beauty, but most of all… magic.”
