About WaterHorse Artistry
Wild & whimsical art by Merry Moonhawk.
Inspired by magick, folklore & the natural world.
Hi! I’m Meredith - or 'Merry'.
I’m a full-time freelance artist residing and creating in Bedfordshire, England - although I dream that someday I’ll live and work by the sea.
I work mostly in colour pencils (Prismacolors are my weapon of choice), but I occasionally dabble in watercolours, acrylics and pastels when the fancy strikes me.
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My creativity has always been inspired by nature - wildlife, trees, plants, the changing seasons, the elements, and everything else that goes with them. I draw ideas from walking in the local woods behind my house, as well as visiting and exploring remote, wild and ancient places. I often go out looking for animals, trees and other curiosities that I can weave into a new creation. I’m also fascinated by mythology, folklore and ancient wisdom traditions, as well as ideas of magick and mysticism.
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All these weird and wonderful things are what feed my soul, and they inform and inspirit everything I do in my work.
My Journey
Indie creator, illustrator, wordsmith, thinker, academic. Self-contained paradox & dreamscape voyager. Stoic believer in magick.
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My real name is Dani Charis Hawkyard, but I choose to create and share my creations under the name Meredith Moonhawk - 'Merry', for short. I don't really recall when I started to draw; it's just something that's always been there - sort of like an old friend that you grew up with but you don't remember where or how you met. I studied Fine Art all the way through school to A Level, but my life took a detour when I went to university - I chose to follow another passion and study a BSc in Equine Science at the Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester.
After graduating with a First Class Honours degree, I retraced my steps and set up WaterHorse Artistry as a part-time venture in 2014. I then worked for several years, first as a groom and then as a veterinary receptionist, and kept WaterHorse Artistry ticking along in the background as a sort-of 'hobby' project.
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However, towards the later part of 2019, I was lucky enough that things fell together in such a way that I was able to make WaterHorse Artistry my full-time work. I now operate out of a studio at home, creating original artwork and completing commissions, and attending markets, fairs and events whenever I can.
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Alongside my work, I am also studying a Masters degree in Myth, Cosmology and the Sacred at Canterbury Christ Church University. There's a hugely creative element to the course, which often worms its way into my artwork and has proven to be incredibly valuable.
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I've realised over the last few years that life is too short to be anything less than authentic, so I'm making a point out of throwing everything (kitchen sink included) into doing what I love. I'm very lucky to have reached a position where I'm able to do that.
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I'm captivated by people, things & places that I find inspirational, like the multi-talented late David Bowie, the works of J.R.R.Tolkien, and all the spaces that are still truly wild in our domesticated world. I live for adventure and desire to find the traces of magick woven within the dull fabric of reality. Join me, won't you?
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“I get up every morning determined to both change the world & have one hell of a good time.
Sometimes this makes planning my day difficult.”
~ E.B.White
