After releasing the last main scene for her story, Kirsty Mitchell's wonderland series is finally drawing to a close. She spent months creating the art work which she shows you in the behind the scenes photos and video. The series was started in 2009 as a memory to her mother that passed away and has evolved with time into something beautiful. Her images are painstakingly put together over months until the perfect time comes for her to capture the magic she has prepared.
Kirsty Says:
“The Fade Of Fallen Memories” is a goodbye, both in the Wonderland story but also within the real world, in my own life. Their parallels intertwined in such a way that it gives me chills, it brings me both happiness and sadness all at once, but above all this photograph is about release……. In Katie’s world, it is the end of her time in Wonderland, the door being the final piece of the puzzle that fits the queen’s key she has carried close to her heart throughout her journey. In my world, it is the metaphor for letting go of the years of grief I have carried with me and taking that final step back towards reality.
For this photo she created this door from scratch and of course, as she does with all her photos she also made the intricate costume, she says on her blog
"Although it was a very big prop, creating the door was one of the most enjoyable things I have ever made. It was a complete indulgence, and journey into the unknown of how on earth I was going to do it. As always I start with the finished look in my head and then work backwards for what to do next, pretty much making it up as I go along. The base was a huge plastic cast of an original 19th century French door from a special effects company I have manged to track down. This became my base, as well a big selection of ornate casts taken from the same period and some extra wooden pieces and trims I collected from DIY stores. From this point on everything else was made and hand pained by myself, until my husband Matt built the frame we would need to support the structure on location. It was slow going, the plastic was incredibly thick and hard to cut, even with a hot knife tool. "
Read all about the behind the scenes from the shoot and the making of the photo on her blog, which includes many more photos from the making of this maginificent photo.
All images used with permission.
Wow, I would love to do something like this someday.
Kirsty is such a talented artist and such a nice person too.
Awesome!
Awe and wonder! So beautifully done, inspiring :) what a choice of music in the video, melancholy and magical. A very talented and creative way to express and share emotions.
Beautiful well crafted photographs, with so much work put into it.