I was in an art card exchange with about 20 other artists. Each of us created just the Major Arcana portion of a
Tarot deck. I’ve added some of my online diary entries during the process of creating
these cards.

The Fool click image to see larger (33k)

The Magician click image to see larger (32k)

The High Priestess click image to see larger (32k)

Elements: Papers, acrylic paint, magazine images and text, printed text, thread, assorted gold leaf shreds. Applied with Golden Gel Medium.

1 Mar 02:

When I’m working on some art projects, the results can be very therapeutic.
Today was one of those days, working on cards representing aspects of authority.
My first attempts at The Empress and The Emperor weren’t cohesive, though there were
elements that I liked in them.

For example, on The Empress, I like the man in uniform saluting. On The Emperor
card, I like the dark, magickal images, linking him to The Magician but also contrasting
with the wholesome Prince William photo. But these cards didn’t flow well enough.

     

With a good break to think through what wasn’t working–which was focus–I produced
far better collages later this afternoon. Each page is about 5″ x 8″.

click image to see larger (32k)

click image to see larger (32k)

click image to see larger (32k)

I particularly like the nutcrackers in The Hierophant card;
when I was a child, I used to be terrified of the manic expressions on nutcrackers.
I never considered “The Nutcracker” anything less than material for nightmares.
Working with this imagery for The Hierophant–the kind of person whose authority
tends to intimidate me when I need to stand up for myself–helped me to understand my fears.

The Emperor card is simpler than I’d usually create, even for focus, but I like
how the images get larger rising towards the top of the collage. This is a subtle
reference to both the Shaker and feng shui principles that have influenced my art for years.

In general and in these cards, what works for me is getting back to simplicity.
That’s different from the austere; if anything, I tend to like Gothic and opulent imagery.
For me, my current approach is about focus, and having a clear vision of what I hope to
achieve with each collage. I’m pleased with these.

18 June 2002

Working on more cards! The next ones really flowed for me. I’m getting the knack of this.

The Hermit click image to see larger	Wheel of Fortune click image to see larger	Justice click image to see larger
Hanged Man click image to see larger	Death click image to see larger	Temperance click image to see larger
The Devil click image to see larger	The Tower click image to see larger	The Star click image to see larger
The Moon click image to see larger	The Sun click image to see larger	Judgement click image to see larger
	The World click image to see larger