Studio Closeup #62

Three more Bird People Tarot cards for the interested. I had a thought the other day that if I frame all 78 cards when they’re done, this might make for a good gallery show somewhere in the near future. I’m having heart palpitations thinking about the framing costs for 78 pieces; maybe I do large framed pieces of each Minor Arcana suit, and one large framed piece of all the Major Arcana cards. But somehow bunching up cards in groups like that doesn’t sit well with my OCD whatsoever. First things first, the deck needs to be completed first before visions of grandeur overtake me. Thanks for stopping by and reading my inner dialogue. Please keep well everyone :)

Tarot king knives
Minor Arcana: King of Knives

Upright Meanings:
Sound advice
Law and order
Strength of character
Keen intellect
Authority

Reversed Meanings:
Malice
Cosmic law
An unfair decision
Revenge
Cruelty


Tarot 7 cups
Minor Arcana: 7 of Cups

Upright Meanings:
Lack of focus
Head in the clouds
Temptations
Get rich quick schemes
Speculation

Reversed Meanings:
Clear thinking
Aspirations achieved
Determination
Success comes the second time around
Realism

Tarot devil 15
Major Arcana: #15 The Devil

Upright Meanings:
Self destruction
Anger & Addiction
Jealousy
Resentment
Imprisonment

Reversed Meanings:
Abuse of power
Deceit
A smothering relationship
Disharmony & Pettiness
Great extremes

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Studio Closeup #61

Three more Bird People tarot cards for today’s Friday! Now that I’m getting closer to finishing this deck, predictable anxiety is surfacing about the very act of being done with something. It’s like the feeling of not working on this deck anymore is the most depressing crushing thing ever and this is when I generally stop working on something all together. Which is probably one of the reasons why I work on a million things at once in the first place. I've done this with TV shows too, refusing to watch the last couple episodes of an entire series because I can’t stand that’s it’s all over. I won't do that to the The Bird People Tarot Deck no matter what my crazy inner dialogue comes up with.

Tarot emperor 4
Major Arcana: The Emperor #4

Upright Meanings:
Order
Control
Power
Stability
Confidence

Reversed Meanings:
Self-righteous tyranny
Fallen hero
Lack of progress
Prejudice
Peter Pan Syndrome

Tarot 8 pentacles
Minor Arcana: 8 of Pentacles

Upright Meanings:
Equality
Purposefulness
Apprenticeship
Dedication
Cautious investing

Reversed Meanings:
Cutting corners
Lack of commitment
Dishonesty
Insincerity
Neglectful

Tarot 6 wands
Minor Arcana: 6 of Wands

Upright Meanings:
Triumph
Good news
Wise decisions
Success
Teamwork

Reversed Meanings:
Defeat
Red tape
Feeling unimportant
A Trojan horse
Hiding your laurels

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Studio Closeup #60

On Black Friday, it somehow feels appropriate to post three new Bird People Tarot cards.

Pleas enjoy!

Tarot king pentacles
Minor Arcana: King of Pentacles

Upright Meanings:
Loyal
Midas touch; material realm only
Conservatism
Traditional values
Financial advisor

Reversed Meanings:
Corruption
Weakness
Irrational
Unfortunate
Misery

Tarot judgement 20
Major Arcana: Judgement #20

Upright Meanings:
Awakening
Renewal
Upheaval
Transformation
Breaking with convention

Reversed Meanings:
Fear of change
A forced ending
Procrastination
Alienation
Faint-heartedness

Tarot magician 1
Major Arcana: The Magician #1

Upright Meanings:
Transformation through willpower
Creative
Talented
Diplomacy
Focused energy

Reversed Meanings:
Weakness of will
Negative
Confused
Selfish behavior
Overconfidence

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Studio Closeup #59

I know.

It’s been a long while since I’ve poked my head out of my rabbit hole and shown the world what I’ve been working on. Since July, I had been obsessively working on The Museum Series Shorebirds Edition (diorama paintings-19 pieces in that series and far from finished) but about a month ago, I answered to my (probably) undiagnosed ADHD and started refocusing on The Bird People Tarot Deck for a bit. I’ve posted three new cards from the deck, that mark my words, I am finishing in this lifetime(!) With additional big plans of having the deck professionally printed for folks to purchase. Thanks for stopping by and checking out my current work.

Tarot highpriestess 2
Major Arcana: The High Priestess #2

Upright Meanings:
Secrets
Mystery
Intuitive awareness
Going with the flow
Good judgement
Reversed Meanings:
Gossip
Disloyalty
Not listening to your inner voice
Insincerity
Coldness

Tarot 8 wands
Minor Arcana: 8 of Wands

Upright Meanings:
Haste
Journey
Commercial transactions
Full steam ahead
New ideas
Reversed Meanings:
Motionless
Arrows of jealousy
Stings of conscience
Wasted energy
Being too pushy

Tarot temperance 14
Major Arcana: Temperance #14

Upright Meanings:
Self-restraint
Tolerance
Compromise
Moderation
Consoling
Reversed Meanings:
Competition
Mood shifts
Gluttony
Extremism
Frustration

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Studio Closeup #58

Along with the 3,000 other art series I have started, I’m determined to finish at least one of them before the world literally implodes. The Bird People Tarot Deck. And the Museum series dioramas centering around shorebirds. Two of the 3,000 at least.

Bird People Tarot: I have some new watercolor backgrounds I thought I’d share. I have thrown away more false starts that became muddy hellscapes than I really care to admit (about 20) but it’s just paper. Expensive paper, but just paper nonetheless. Best to let the ones that got pushed too far in the wrong direction GO. One of the backgrounds turned into a new tarot card so all was not lost!

The Chariot card was a real tricky one to tackle. There’s a lot of symbolism in this one, and trying to explain all that; it got a bit cluttered really fast and I’m still unsure about it. I've posted what the Chariot card looks like from the traditional Waite-Rider deck for comparison.

Living inside the world of color and all its combinations/possibilities these past couple months has been beyond therapeutic. I think I’ll stay there all summer. Maybe fall too. Thanks for stopping by!

Tarot chariot 7
Major Arcana: The Chariot #7


Upright Meanings:

Clear purpose
Balancing conflicting emotions
Use of inner will
Self control
Ambition

Reversed Meanings:
Out of control
Imbalance
Anxiety
Repression
Moodiness

Tarot ref chariot
Comparison to Waite-Rider deck Chariot art.
Tarot bkg 02
New tarot card background art.
Tarot bkg 09
New tarot card background art.
Tarot bkg 06
New tarot card background art.
Tarot bkg 08
New tarot card background art.
Tarot bkg 05
New tarot card background art.
Tarot bkg 04
New tarot card background art.
Tarot bkg 10
New tarot card background art.
Tarot bkg 03
New tarot card background art.
Tarot bkg 07
New tarot card background art.

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