“Through the Labyrinth of Wonder” – Mixed Media Drawing

About the work

“Through the Labyrinth of Wonder” is Ivy Bath’s vivid, nonlinear descent into the psyche of Alice in Wonderland. Built with layers of permanent and acrylic markers, subtle pastel highlights, and touches of ink, this original mixed media drawing is an intricate tapestry of logic and fantasy.

Rather than retelling the classic tale, Ivy deconstructs it—layering spirals, lattices, and distorted figures that feel like fragments of dreams caught mid-thought. Alice emerges not as a character, but as a symbol of the self navigating complexity, while the Mad Hatter presides as a guardian of absurd logic. A rabbit adorned with a clock spirals through geometric warp-fields, suggesting the collapse of linear time. Each section of the composition feels like a portal to a new idea—mathematical, psychological, or poetic.

This piece is for collectors drawn to narrative art that doesn’t just illustrate a story but asks you to psychologically wander through it.

A closer look

This drawing-dream hybrid feels like stepping inside a philosophical fever dream. Ivy Bath borrows the iconic characters of Wonderland not to retell their story, but to deconstruct our relationship with narrative itself. “Through the Labyrinth of Wonder” becomes a visual equation where logical symbols, swirling timepieces, and fragmented figures float in defiance of resolution. The media choice—layered markers with pastel whispers—emphasizes control colliding with spontaneity, echoing the very tension at the heart of Alice’s journey: the rational mind lost in an irrational world.

Process & symbolism

In this piece, Ivy worked in mixed media—primarily permanent and acrylic markers, supported by ink and a delicate touch of pastel. The process was intuitive yet guided by a conceptual framework (L-theory), a mental model exploring logic, perception, and transformation. The layout evolved organically from the center outwards—like spiraling thought—mirroring Wonderland’s narrative shape.

Key figures like the Mad Hatter, Alice, and the rabbit serve not just as characters but archetypes: the trickster, the seeker, the harbinger of time. Repeating patterns, vortexes, and lattice grids evoke the structure of thought, as if Wonderland itself is a metaphor for how we mentally move through story, memory, and identity.