Upcoming at the Bermuda National Gallery is Bermuda Wonderland is an interactive exhibit aimed at “children and children at heart” by Elizabeth Mulderig, the author and illustrator of the Tiny the Tree Frog series. The show is a look at Bermuda’s parishes “through the lens of Alice in Wonderland”, the beloved children’s novel by Lewis Carroll.

Q: Where did the idea of merging the parishes and Alice in Wonderland come from?

A: The idea of merging the island's parishes with Wonderland came from having a chat with Peter Lapsley, the then-director of BNG. My original sketches were based on the wonderland garden paintings that were in their biennials. However, the two of us decided to add not only the parishes, but the tourist sites in each one as well. This turns the show into a tour of the island. We provide a bit of the history of each site as well along with a quote from Alice in Wonderland matching the paintings. It truly is an educational show.

Q: Was Alice in Wonderland a favourite childhood book?

A: Alice in Wonderland became my favourite story as a child after I performed in the ballet produced by Patricia Gray's Russian School of Ballet. Her dance shows were spectacular and it was magical to have the story brought to life on stage.

Q: How is the show interactive?

A: The interactive part of Bermuda Wonderland is mind-blowing to a very low-tech girl like myself. An AI company in New York City has made it so you can hold your cell phone up to each painting and the piece comes alive: trees start to sway with the sound of the wind and birds fly and sing etc; a character from the following painting comes into the piece and invites you to follow into the next painting.

Another interactive part of the show takes place in a room with a small door for kids and a larger one for adults. This room contains my sketches, next to my studies, next to prints of the finished work – enabling people to see the progression and process. There is a workspace as well where kids can make their own crayon print of some of the characters in the paintings. Plus, there are workbooks with several fun exercises pertaining to the show available at the entrance.

Q: What are the sizes of the pieces? How many are there?

A: There are nine large paintings. One for each parish. They are 3ft by 5ft large, so you can almost step inside the images.

Q: How long did it take you to create the show?

A: I had two extra years to create the show because Covid-19 delayed the opening. It was a great way to be productive and remain sane during lockdown. Plus, I had time to perfect a new technique involving thin layers of oil paint over acrylics.

Q: How long have you been creating art?

A: I've been creating art since I was a child. I remember being in grade one at MSA and the nuns would sometimes hold my drawings up in front of the class. They might have been pointing out what not to do but my young artist's ego chose to view this as a sign of greatness.

Q: Where do you think your interest came from? Did you have any mentors along the way?

A: My interest in creating pictures has always come from my love of Bermuda. The attempt to capture the island's beauty, people and history continues to fascinate me. Along the way I've had quite a few mentors, especially teachers in the art schools I attended in NYC.

Q: How many shows have you held?

A: The number of art shows I've had over the years escapes me but there have been many. However, I am both honoured and excited to be showing with Bermuda National Gallery.

Q: Any plans to revisit Tiny? ​

A: I've hidden ladybugs in each painting, as they were my mother's favourite, however I didn't want to leave Tiny the Tree Frog out so I've hidden him in one of the mushrooms as well. So, come along and find Tiny in Wonderland!

• Bermuda Wonderland by Elizabeth Mulderig opens at the Bermuda National Gallery on Friday and will remain on display until May. Admission is free. The exhibition was curated by Eve Godet Thomas and sponsored by the Christian Humann Foundation with support from Mr and Mrs W.H. Williams, One Communications and Gorham's Ltd