- Kirsty Mitchell, 36, started Wonderland series 4 and a half years ago in memory of her mother, who died in 2008
- Gaia, The Birth Of An End marks the beginning of the final chapter in photographer’s heartfelt project
- Stunning portrait inspired by Inca gods and trip to Tibet in 2012 where she collected tribal necklaces
By
Deni Kirkova
17:20, 21 November 2013
|
19:05, 21 November 2013
A phenomenal portrait of an interpretation of the Greek goddess Gaia marks the beginning of the final chapter in Kirsty Mitchell’s Wonderland project.
The photographer, 36, form Surrey, dedicates her fantastical picture series to her late mother Maureen, an English teacher who spent her life inspiring generations of children
with imaginative stories and plays.
Following Maureen’s death from a
brain tumour in 2008, Kirsty channelled her grief into her passion for
photography.
A phenomenal portrait of an the Greek goddess Gaia marks the beginning of the final chapter in Kirsty Mitchell’s Wonderland
The photographic series
began as a small summer project but grew into an inspirational creative
journey.
‘This
escapism grew into the concept of creating an unexplained storybook
without words, dedicated to her [my mother], that would echo the
fragments of the fairytales she read to me constantly as a child,’ says
the artist, who was named the first female Nikon UK Ambassador for Fine Art Photography in July.
The latest addition is a powerful and emotional vision of the Greek personification version of Mother Earth, Gaia, creator and giver of birth to the Earth and all the Universe; the heavenly gods, the Titans and the Giants. It is called Gaia, The Birth Of An End, and is two metres high.
She wears a grand golden headdress which was handmade by Kirsty, who has a background in fashion and costume design. The piece took her over two and-a-half months to finish.
VIDEO: Making of Kirsty Mitchell’s Gaia, filmed by Richard Wakefield
‘I was heavily influenced by Inca
gods, and my trip to Tibet in 2012, during which I had specifically
collected traditional bells and tribal necklaces.
‘I
began by building up an entire new lower level to the piece, that would
help surround the face and balance the enormous proportions of the top
section.
‘The headdress was
entirely hand painted, dyed and beaded by myself and weighs so much,
that it had to be wired to a wooden beam in my studio to take the weight
off the model’s head,’ she says.
The base is made from solid plaster with metal mesh embedded into it for extra strength.
Kirsty prepares to take a photo of model Marianna, who is made up as the goddess Gaia and wearing a heavy handmade headdress
Finishing touches are applied by photographer Kirsty and makeup artist Elbie
The headdress in detail shows Kirsty’s inspiration; Apocalypto, Inca gods and her trip to Tibet in 2012, during which she collected traditional bells and tribal necklaces
The piece weighs so much that it had to be wired to a wooden beam in Kirsty’s studio to take the weight off the model’s head
The photographer worked alongside make-up artist is Elbie Van Eeden to transform model Marianna Toka into the goddess.
‘Wonderland is in its final phase,’ she tells MailOnline.
‘It has been running for four and a half years and is entirely self funded. The project’s purpose is to create a extraordinary storybook without words.
‘The characters are all my own creation; the costumes props and sets. I construct them like mini film sets in the woodlands around my home. Everything is real and real scale, and can take months to make.
Kirsty Mitchell, pictured left, wearing blue, throws yellow powder at the background
The photographer worked alongside make-up artist is Elbie Van Eeden to transform model Marianna Toka into the goddess
Marianna Toka, 25, from London is a fashion and editorial model
Highly reflective gold and yellow makeup plus contoured dark shadow is applied for an otherworldly effect
‘The characters are not based on anything that already exists – they are the result of my faded memories of the stories my mother read to me as a child, the original book illustrations, poems, paintings mixed up with dreams. I wanted to create pictures that people will project their own ideas on to, and lose themselves in.
‘The project currently has 69 pictures in the collection, with another 10 coming. All the new pictures, the last 10, have been made and shot over the last 9 months, and we are now retuning with them, as well as the films. Each picture has a five-minute behind the scenes film made by FX Media.
‘But we are also working on a full-length documentary about the whole series which will be released online at the very close of the series. I hope to complete everything by March next year.
Kirsty has dedicated the last four and a half years of her Wonderland project to her late mother who passed away in 2008
Kirsty and Elbie applying gold makeup onto Marianna, transforming her into the goddess Gaia
Kirsty wanted to create a body adornment for Gaia, which came in the form of these over sized necklace pieces. Every part has been handmade, beaded and painted by her aside from the central traditional necklace
‘I named this first portrait Gaia, The Birth of An End, as it about the last seen character Gaia’s transition from a mortal to her true goddess form.
‘I named her after the Greek equivalent of our Mother Earth, and this picture represents her incarnation, (birth) surrounded by an explosion of vibrating, shimmering energy. Her character affects everything. As she changes so to will the landscape, creating a butterfly effect that sets in motion the end of the story.
‘It was heavily influenced by how I see the human spirit; after losing my mother people often ask me what I imagine comes afterwards, and my only answer is my belief in an endless energy, the circle I feel we are all a part of. My mother is with me always, she is the earth, the rain, the wind in my hair was I walk to work. The body may cease, but I feel the vibrations of people continue, like ripples from a stone cast in a lake, and it was this power of spirit that I have tried to express within the picture.’
Some of Kirsty’s previous portraits from the Wonderland series are listed below.
Kirsty Mitchell has dedicated her Wonderland photographic series to the memory of her late mother, Maureen, who lost her life to a brain tumour in 2008
Danaus: A close-up of a model before a sunlit backdrop, peering through a veil of paper butterflies
While Nightingales Wept: a model captured running though the woods near Kirsty’s home in Surrey
A Floral Birth: Kirsty imagines a creature begotten from nature
Lady of The Lake: A model emerges from a pool of lilies deep within the forest
Far, Far Away: A twenties-style circus performer swings from a giant tree
Gammelyn’s Daughter: The model clutches a ship to her chest atop a heathery cushion
The White Queen ruling over the forest of Wonderland and The Fall of Gammelyn, a decaying forest king
The Storyteller: A reference to Kirsten’s
English teacher mother, a model sits elegantly on a carpet of bluebells
enveloped by books
The Queen’s Armada: A fantasy queen sails a fleet of the most delicate paper ships
The Beautiful
Blindness of Devotion sees a painted girl with eyes closed in prayer
while The Briar Rose is a human rambling rose appearing to grow from the
stonework
The Faraway Tree: ethereal ships, magically lit, appear to sprout from this tree as if commanded by the queen
Dryad: A nymph clings to giant tree roots suspended over the river
Euphaeidae: A winged fairy princess amid a sea of lavender
Spirited Away: Blooms stand out against a snowy forest backdrop – a promise of the spring to come
www.kirstymitchellphotography.com
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L.,
London, United Kingdom,
11 hours ago
Some of them are kitsch and overproduced.
Luna,
USA, United States,
13 hours ago
Very beautiful photos!
desertprincess,
Australia,
14 hours ago
Wow!! Incredible! What a very talented woman and a lovely tribute to her mum.
nicole25,
Charlotte, United States,
16 hours ago
Beautiful photos.
ladyjbritish,
NC,
16 hours ago
How beautiful all the pictures are. Very imaginative – and rather relaxing to look at.
Ann,
New York,
17 hours ago
Wonderful- I want one in red please and want this fashion to catch up. Rest of the photographs are amazing as well.
snowbunnysnowmass,
Snowmass Village-CO, United States,
17 hours ago
Stunning photographs. I would love to see them in person, full sized.
Kitty,
Sacramento,
17 hours ago
Why do people always see gods and goddesses as rigid, over decorated icons? Why not be different and see them as something entirely different, something free and light, not weighed down by our assumptions of divinity. I’d see Gaia as a wayward child, playing on a riverbank in a lush forest. Ye, these are attractive images, but I find them overdone, sorry.
Spiritually Bankrupt,
Somewhereoutthere,
12 hours ago
John,
Sydney,
17 hours ago
Wow, great images, great costumes and great poses.
James,
Surrey, United Kingdom,
17 hours ago
This is a lovely work of photography, but please don’t give Lady GaGa any more ideas.
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Article source: http://digital-cameras-planet.com/blog/2012/10/28/improvements-in-performance-and-a-new-design-make-the-new-nikon-1-v2/
Stunning portrait inspired by Inca gods and trip to Tibet in 2012 where she ...
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