Wonderland, by Kirsty Mitchell

The Lavender Princess.

Don't you love when art stops you in your tracks and it's like time stands still while you explore every detail. I'm so enraptured by Kirsty Mitchell's incredible work and story that it's almost too hard to gather my thoughts to tell you about it. When I spied the dramatic lavender scene above, I had to know where it came from, who was responsible, how it was done and why. Such intensity and beauty, I found it utterly compelling.

Kirsty's background is primarily in fashion and costume design but I think it's fair to say she's a 'multi-passionate' artist. Kirsty's world was turned completely upside down and inside out when her mother passed away from a brain tumour in 2008. From the depths of her grief and despair after loosing someone she had been so very close to, someone who had taught to believe in beauty, wonder and using your imagination, rose this concept of Wonderland.

Wonderland is a photography series that consists of sixty eight images or 'scenes' so far that have taken four years to make. Kirsty is still working on the final seven scenes of Wonderland that are due to be released in the coming months. Each image transports you to a place filled with ethereal woodland characters, where imagination and possibilities are limitless. As I started to explore Wonderland, I truly did feel like I was tumbling down the rabbit hole. All of the props, costumes you see in each scene was created by Kirsty by hand, many taking months of preparation to complete. All that in addition to setting up the perfect location, which meant sometimes waiting for tiny window of seasonal opportunity to capture incandescent flower fields in full bloom. Kirsty's commitment to the scenes she first saw in her dreams and was compelled to recreate is astounding - none of these images have been photoshopped. This blows my mind.

Gaia's Promise.

The Faraway Tree.

The Storyteller.

What a breathtaking tribute to her mother. An incredibly sacred, secret Wonderland that belongs to the two of them. We're just lucky enough to be imbued by the beauty of their bond, through the looking glass.

You can see all of the Wonderland images, read all the behind the scenes stories and Kirsty's honest and emotional diary that accompanies the entire four year journey on her website, here. It's really worth the visit.

Belinda x