Terrifying Illustration Series Features Creatures of Folklore

Chloe Dominique Allen grew up in the small village of Warmfield, West Yorkshire. With a love of art and storytelling, she was captivated by the magical and beautiful pockets of nature that seemed to hold so many secrets.

Now a graduate from Norwich University of the Arts with a First Class Honours degree in Illustration, Chloe explores themes of uncertainty, folklore, and nature through her stunning drawn works.

For her latest series – Баба Яга и Василиса – the artist explains: “My practice stems from an intrigue with ambiguity and blurred lines between reality and fiction, which has drawn me towards creatures of folklore and the unknown, particularly, the Slavic lore of Vasilisa and Baba Yaga.

“For this series of prints, I wanted to invite the viewer into the perspective of the naively curious and innocent Vasilisa. She takes us into the dark forest and through her eyes we encounter the fearsome Baba Yaga.

“Using the traditional process of Monotype printmaking, I seek to reveal elements of beauty within the things that we may find frightening and enable us to be less fearful of the unfamiliar. Removing the ink from the plate enables light to emerge from darkness and allow the mysterious and phantasmal nature of folktales to be conceived in print.”

In July 2017, Chloe opened up her first shop, Liminal Studio, to sell some of her work. Check out her website at chloedominique.com.