Prize-winning and best-selling Wales-based author illustrator Jackie Morris celebrates over 30 years of her work with a new exhibition.

Curated in partnership with Rheged, a modern, independent gallery in Cumbria, this brand-new exhibition, Lost Spells, Lost Words: Beyond & Before celebrates over 30 years of Jackie’s work from her very first book, The Snow Whale written by Caroline Pitcher, to her best-sellers, The Lost Words, The Lost Spells and Tell Me a Dragon.

Split into three parts, the exhibition takes visitors on a magical journey of imagination, stories and dreams uncovering some of the creatures Jackie has illustrated and written about including whales, ice bears, dragons, tigers and snow leopards.

Some of the books featured in the exhibition include The Ice Bear, The Snow Leopard, Tell Me a Dragon and Lord of the Forest, with sections dedicated to her special collaborations with Robert Macfarlane, The Lost Words (by kind permission of Compton Verney, Hamish Hamilton and Penguin Books) and The Lost Spells (by kind permission of Penguin Books and Northumberland National Park).

Follow Jackie’s path to becoming one of the most recognisable children’s illustrators in an extraordinary exhibition, with the beautiful original watercolour paintings that fill the pages of her books, including Jackie’s collaborations with Ted Hughes, Terry Pratchett, Robin Hobb and James Mayhew, as well as pieces never seen by the public before.

Jackie Morris commented “This is the first time The Lost Words and Lost Spells by Robert Macfarlane and myself have been shown together… Many of my earlier pieces are kindly on loan from private collections and have never been shown before. Some pieces, like the Red Fox with Macfarlane’s handwritten spell, created for The Lost Words Prom at the Albert Hall, are pieces that form bridges between works.”

“I hope the show will bring many people to discover the beauty of the Rheged, a centre of excellence in the arts, and would like to extend a huge thank you to all the team who have worked to bring this show together.”

The family-friendly exhibition also includes children’s activities, films showcasing Jackie painting as well as readings from the spell books, soundscapes, artefacts and an installation. Rheged’s Gallery and Design Shop will have many of Jackie’s books and prints available to buy, as well as limited edition jigsaws and handmade jewellery, made exclusively for Rheged.

The exhibition is open to the public until 01 September. Tickets are £5 and free for under 3’s.