Studio Closeup #63

The Bird People Tarot deck continues to move forward. If I accomplish nothing else in my lifetime, this deck will get done. And it will get printed.

Thought I'd share a little bit of my process with these cards since it's been a bit since I posted last. I do the backgrounds for these cards completely separate from the collage part of the cards. I start to get to know the backgrounds as their own paintings. I do about a dozen or so cards at a time which takes about one to two weeks. After the cards have dried and I feel like they’re “finished”, I put the cards away and don’t look at them for a couple weeks. I usually start working on something completely different so when I take them out again, I can remain objective about which ones stay or go. Then it’s time to concentrate on the collage aspect which requires me to exist in a whole different zone in order to get that part of the cards accomplished. In short, all this takes a lot longer than I’d like it to, but this is how my brain wants it. To overcomplicate everything.

Even though it’s been slow going at times, I’ve learned so much about myself and the art of Tarot while working on this deck which has been a super unexpected reward. Happy summer everyone!

19 sun
Major Arcana: #19 The Sun

Upright Meanings:
Abundance
Enlightenment
Sincerity
Creative self-expression
Self-control

Reversed Meanings:
Unrewarding
Delusions of grandeur
Bluff, facade
Boasting, bragging
Negative thinking

Knives 2
Minor Arcana: 2 of Knives

Upright Meanings:
Self-protective
Ambivalent
Prejudice
Dangerous times
Tension

Reversed Meanings:
Treachery
A duel
Facing your feelings
Decisions made
Renewed action

Knives 8
Minor Arcana: 8 of Knives

Upright Meanings:
Feeling trapped
Intellectual imprisonment
Isolation
Slights and insults from all
Constraint

Reversed Meanings:
Release
Overcoming fear
Small success in midst of misfortune
Liberated
Not gullible