Tarot Deck Update!

I know the completion of this project is still a long way off, the Tarot Deck is really coming along! I've been doing roughly one card every day, and the results are starting to add up.

Working on the deck has been a way for me to reconnect with my love of painting and image making. The particular task of designing a tarot card is unique to me. It involves a lot planning and thoughtful consideration, and personal reflection, but very little actual ideation of the initial concept. The themes are provided for you, and it's up to you to conceive an image that captures/ symbolizes that theme in your own life. You can look at other examples of that card from other decks as inspiration for imagery or composition if you choose, but so far I've been drawing mostly from my own work, and occasionally on paintings and artists I who's work I've admired in the past. I try to only really directly reference another work when its themes or intentions line up well with what I'm trying to do in the card. The vases I'm using in the Cups/Queen of Time/Flowers/Clocks suite specifically are inspired by the painter Giorgio Morandi's cast of crofts that he often featured in his lovely, subtle, evocative still life paintings.

My goal with the tarot deck is to let each of the 4 suits relate to 4 collections of music I've been working on (no promises 😅 but many songs have been written and/or recorded in some form, and I feel like I have a strong concept for at least 2 more album sized projects down the line...)

• Invertebrates (particularly worms, insects, arachnids, and other cute nasties) take the place of Swords- the dynamic, airy, sometimes cruel, decisive suit. There is a lot I want to say about this album (likely to be the second) but it's still very much under development, and to go into it here would consume the rest of this post. In short, Invertebrate Waltz is a reaction to people in my life who court unhappiness.

• Dogs/ pet ownership takes the place of Wands- the warm, fiery-hearted, honest, working suit. Representing the apparent interest of everyone in the world to compulsively accept massive personal commitment into their lives. The collection of songs is about how I see outward idealization of romance and partnership, and questioning what I truly want in a relationship/ why I struggle to make large commitments to people and things in my life.

• The symbology of The Queen of Time (vases/flowers, clocks, royalty, the moon/sun) takes the place of Cups- the watery suite of love, and emotion. The queen of time was born out of a period of self reflection after the end of a relationship that started during the pandemic. It was clear that the relationship would end when we both moved into whatever chapter of our lives came next, but that truth became difficult for me to accept, and I had to do a lot of personal reflection to understand why. The Queen of Time was started in a really emotional place- figuring out where I am now, and coming to terms with life changes. The Queen of Time is also about reflecting on my future and my ambition as an artist- it's a reminder to myself that life is long, and a promise to make something real, and worthwhile come from this chapter of my life.

• Lastly, Musical instruments, artworks, and/ or tools and evidence of art (frequently also represented as disks/records/CDs) takes the place of Coins - the earthy suite of commerce, industry, efficacy, and practicality. Musically, I have a number of directions I could go here, but at present, I'm considering this a "catch all" collection of one-off songs about people who had a brief but tangible impression on me. The suite itself uses instruments and recording equiptment both as evidence of artistic practice, and nods to the presentation and idealization of those tools as social status symbols (especially in the music industry) It's possible this suite could change a bit as the project develops and/ or I find myself more and more entrenched in the music industry at large.