HISTORY has it that Leonardo da Vinci was the first to try his hand at anamorphic perspective. One of the first known examples of an anamorphic drawing is of an eye, which the Italian Renaissance genius created in the late 14th Century.

Since, there's been many more creators using the fascinating technique such as Hans Holbein the Younger and his famous painting The Ambassadors, where he painted a strange shape diagonally across the bottom of the picture which when looked at from a certain angle transforms into a human skull. Great Spanish surrealist Salvador Dali was another champion of optical tricks and hidden imagery and created a series of anamorphic images. MC Escher too was exceptional at making the impossible believable, with present day master of the form probably Hungarian printmaker and painter, Istvan Orosz.

On show at Kendal Museum until August 26, Lakeland Anamorphic sees one of the region's best known artists Marianne Birkby back on the exhibition trail, brilliantly and playfully experimenting with perspective and perception and the 'magic mirror' effect.

Marianne says the magic mirror belongs to the world of curiosities and was considered to be a miracle of art with the secret being jealously guarded: "The magic mirror was known as a wonder, an enigma and a marvel of science and art combined."

Heading in a new and exciting direction, Marianne's latest series of magical artworks - seven all told - are the creative and memorising results of a challenge laid down by her father John Birkby.

During the 1960s through to the 1980s former Sellafield worker John collected his own cabinet of curiosities with the Museum of Mechanical Music and Curiosities, which was based at Rusland Hall. The 'dare' challenge made jokingly from Marianne’s father two years ago was to create a drawing using the magic mirror technique.

“Maths is not my strong point so the challenge from my Dad to create an artwork using the magic mirror was a proper challenge but one that I felt compelled to try. This exhibition is the result of that jokingly made 'dare.'"

Marianne’s childhood was largely spent in Lakeland's Rusland valley where a keen interest in the natural world was developed. As well as private commissions and solo exhibitions far and wide her impressive portfolio includes children's books such as Wildlife in the Country published by Random House and Dodo Who a title from Kendal Museum Publishing. Several academic institutions in the UK requested the comic book Hot written and illustrated by Marianne as part of the Wastwater Chronicles series.

Kendal Museum is open Tuesday-Thursday, 10am-4pm. Telephone 01539-815597.