Fantasy exhibition inspired by Devon folklore

Wendy Froud, Alan Lee and Brian Froud have worked on fantasy projects like Lord of the Rings, Labyrinth, and The Dark Crystal

A exhibition of art by some of the biggest names in fantasy is on display in a gallery on Dartmoor.

Widdershins 3 at Green Hill Arts explores the folklore of Devon, how it has inspired internationally renowned and award-winning artists, and the enduring interest in the fantasy genre.

Brian Froud, who is known for his work with creator of The Muppets, Jim Henson, said fantasy is a "place where we can learn more about ourselves, learn something about our relationship with the land itself, which seems to me to be really important now".

Interest in this exhibition has reached far and wide, attracting visitors from Europe, America and Australia.

Artwork from 19 artists is on display in the gallery

Sculptor Wendy Froud moved to Dartmoor after meeting Brian on the set of The Dark Crystal.

She said: "I am from Michigan originally but I felt at home from the very first time I got here".

She thinks the landscape is inspiring to artists because of "a combination of the wildness of it, and the fact that people have been living here for thousands of years, and it's accessible, you can see the traces of it".

Illustrator Alan Lee won an Oscar in 2004 for his art design for The Lord of the Rings film trilogy.

He described how the South West's rolling hills inspired his work.

"A little bit of Devon did find its way into The Shire as I designed the Hobbit houses, I even brought my knowledge, picked up from the local allotments, of how gardens should be laid out and so on," said Mr Lee.

Alan Lee's illustrations won him an Academy Award in 2004 for his work on the Lord of the Rings.

Curator of the gallery, Carol Harvey said it was important the exhibition was free "so that it's available and accessible to all - of course we would love donations, but the importance is that it is art for everybody".

"The interest has been amazing and what's even more amazing is that it's homegrown talent, we have got it on our doorstep", she added.