I am now holding the prototype deck in my hands … introducing the Pentimento Tarot! (A majors-only deck.) If all goes well, the decks will be available in April. Feeling pretty great about this!
It took me months to learn and practice the medium of beeswax collage (encaustic), and then to find my own style with it. (Lyn Belisle is such a great teacher!) But after that, creating the cards went quite quickly. I was able to create two cards a day, and sometimes three a day. This was very gratifying compared to how long it takes to do a colored pencil painting.
The photo below shows a number of the 5″x7″ finished encaustic pieces, laid out on a table in my studio.
On February 23rd, I wrote:
Twenty down, two to go.
I’ve been holed up in my studio lately, showing up at the art table with my morning coffee, taking breaks to stretch and eat, quitting only at the dinner hour. Sometimes shutting the door to all outside distractions is the only way to get a lot done in a short period of time. I love the feel of beeswax, oil pastels, and gold leaf on my fingers. I love the stormy sky outside. I love the soundtrack of my days as I listen to Harry Potter audiobooks, caught up in the story’s humor and drama.
I love the faces, eyes and gestures of the figures in the vintage photos I’ve found, as I layer them over and under antique tarot cards. Once again these strange beings, these tarot archetypes so deeply rooted in our psyches, come to life through image, texture, line. Once again the delight and drama of daily life, and the deeper stories underneath, come alive through these strange and wonderful cards.
Feeling blessed to speak, sing, and paint the language of tarot.
(Pentimento Tarot decks are for sale here.)
