[Note: the below is an excerpt from a feature/interview I did with Wanderarti, written by Lizzie Davey. Please follow the link below to read the full article on their website.]

“Today, I’m excited to bring you the work of Kia Marie Hunt, a writer and illustrator who studied in South America. Her sketches of the indigenous Uruguay’s wildlife are absolutely beautiful!”

Can you tell us a bit about your time in Uruguay?

As part of my Hispanic Studies degree, it is compulsory to take a year abroad; one semester in a Spanish-speaking country and another in a Portuguese-speaking country. Although I love Spain and it’s culture, I had always dreamed about visiting Latin America. So,once I realised I had the opportunity to spend a year there I just had to do it! I would love to explore the entire continent eventually and truly get to know the South-American culture. But I decided that Uruguay would be a good place to start as people say it’s the country where travellers experience culture-shock the least. (But I still did!)

What prompted you to focus on the flora and fauna in Uruguay?

Due to the fact that my modules at the Universidad de Montevideo were very few, I had plenty of free time to enjoy, and although I loved exploring the city, I am definitely at my happiest when I am surrounded by nature. So I decided to use my free days to volunteer at Indígena, a private nature reserve just outside of the city, established with the objective of preserving and protecting the country’s native flora and fauna. Spending time at the reserve really was the highlight of my time in Uruguay; it felt so peaceful to get away from everything for a while and simply spend time immersed in cultivating wildlife…

Continue reading on Wanderarti.com →

*NEW* You can now buy my Uruguay’s wildlife illustrations as a cute sticker sheet!

Photo gallery: My Indígena experience and Uruguay’s wildlife illustrations