Within months of the series’ inception, Wonderland quickly gained a world-wide following as viewers became connected to the artworks and the intense emotions that inspired them. What had started as a small summer project in Mitchell’s kitchen in 2009 evolved into a life-changing journey filled with extraordinary theatrical characters and bursting with all the colors of the passing English seasons. The artist’s five-year project culminated in the extraordinary book Wonderland, which documents all seventy-four photographs in the collection and is now in its second edition. “It was the faded fragments of book illustrations, mixed up with dreams and my experiences through the grief that eventually formed the narrative of the series,” Mitchell explains. “Ultimately [Wonderland] became a strange and beautiful place to remember and forget, both in the same bittersweet moment.” Some of Mitchell’s images are reminiscent of her favorite childhood books such as Moonlight and Fairyland, illustrated by Brighton artist Pauline Martin, The Kingdom Under the Sea illustrated by the Polish draughtsman Jan Pienkowski and The Snow Queen, illustrated by Errol Le Cain.
Kirsty Mitchell on location 2013
The Wonderland story revolves around Katie, a magical being who haunts the woods. She reflects both the sense of loss and small breaks of happiness that Mitchell experienced through her grieving process. On days when the grief was not so intense, Mitchell might cover Katie in butterflies reclining in a bed of lavender. When Mitchell was in despair dealing with the finality of her mother’s death, her Muse, Katie, may be chained to a sinking ship, her hands reaching to heaven in longing. Mitchell reflects, "As the series progressed, I began to realize that everything I was going through in the real world has been projected in these images. I embraced that and let that write the story.” Wonderland is really a portrayal of time passing and the attempt to illustrate the journey of grief. “You don't stand still, you move, and things change. If you have ever experienced loss, there is no kind of direct path with grief. You don't start in the beginning and then it fades, and fades and fades until it eventually disappears. It just doesn't work like that." Mitchell said.
Museum of Art – DeLand What’s the Story? 28