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InspirationIllustration

Terrifying illustration series features creatures of folklore including the Baba Yaga

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.

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Black and white monotype print showing a figure in a textured dress with pale arms and hands adorned with rings, viewed from above against a dark background

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 Etsy shop, Liminal Studio, to sell some of her work. Check out her website at chloedominique.com.

Black and white monotype print showing a figure surrounded by ethereal winged creatures hovering above a dark landscape
A solitary figure stands in a dark forest surrounded by tall trees with glowing eyes peering through the darkness in this monotype print from Chloe Dominique Allen's Баба Яга и Василиса series
A child in a dress walks alone through a dark forest of tall, bare trees in this monotype print from Chloe Dominique Allen's folklore series
A monotype print showing a figure on horseback surrounded by tall, thin trees in a dark forest, rendered in white lines against black
A monotype print showing a small wooden house with glowing windows in a dark forest, with smoke rising from its roof, rendered in white lines against black
Two skulls with flowering plants in monotype print by Chloe Dominique Allen from her Baba Yaga series
Monotype print of a skeletal figure with long hair and cloth wrappings, surrounded by handwritten text and small plants against a dark background
Black and white monotype print of a pale face with dark hair against a textured dark background, from Chloe Dominique Allen's Баба Яга и Василиса series
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