Given how enthusiastically I embrace TV nowadays, it sometimes amazes me to look back and recall how little I watched growing up, or in college. But one show I enjoyed was “Kung Fu”. When I added the silk image of a young person doing T’ai Chi to this cloth, the piece’s title suddenly and irrevocably became: Young Grasshopper.
The scan of the boy came from a collage, which eventually became a SoulCollage card. I just checked my Flickr set and it isn’t there — another reminder of the stack of cards waiting to be photographed.
I am on the verge of deciding to make my own Tarot deck — I have wanted to for years, and so what stops? I think it helped to read about Mo‘s philosophy — that is, of enjoying (instead of avoiding!) the idea of shouldering a task which may extend beyond her born days. Definitely not an attitude I would normally cotton to.
More snow. And pounding rain last night. Some of the heaviest slush I have ever lifted (heating pad, here we come!) Because it was slush below and frozen on top, I had to chop it first with the half-moon edge-trimming tool. The good news? No water coming into the house ANYWHERE.
The Tarot is a big journey through the archetypes, I started painting a set back in 1975, finished painting the Prince of Swords in oils on a big canvas after many months, realised it would take a lifetime and never got back to it! But my friend Chester Harris made the journey with so much integrity. He hand carved the 78 linocuts over a couple of years of traveling & camping then went back to his studio and hand printed 61 decks, he gifted me with the Crow Deck, it holds the strongest magic of any deck I have ever had the pleasure to hold.
Here’s some links to reviews
http://www.tarotpassages.com/chesta.htm
http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/chesta/
and photos of the full deck on his Facebook page (his website isn’t happening at the moment)
https://www.facebook.com/chester.harris.16/media_set?set=a.25129792651.47616.777922651&type=3
an impeccable journey
wow, those are incredible cards! each one hand-painted?!! and block printed. I love the sturdiness of the figures… will have to look some more. For my project, I am thinking along the lines of The Voyager Deck, because I, too, would collage the images… and maybe only the Major (“only”!!?!) We’ll see… I think it could be an amazing (perhaps also impeccable) journey. What made your deck “the Crow Deck”?
Chester had to kill a crow that had been pinioned by a farmer in his travels with the Tarot, the backs of the Crow Deck are screen printed with an image of that release from pain, it was gifted to me just a few weeks before my journey began with throat cancer 10 years it gave me strength.
Wow.
that was meant to read ten years ago…
That was then but the duende always sits on my right shoulder (I’m left handed) on a more light hearted note The Tarot for Cats by Kipling West is another favourite, a delightful journey through the major cards
http://www.amazon.com/Tarot-Cats-Unlock-Mysteries-Lives/dp/0028608283/ref=sr_1_9?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1321715209&sr=1-9
and the best online Tarot site is by Joan Bunning
http://www.learntarot.com/
I used to read tarot, but I feel content with my SoulCollage deck as a personal tarot deck, even though the majority of my cards have no obvious parallel in the tarot. Here’s one that does … but I named it The Lover rather than Lovers because the card seems to be more about her 🙂 http://aboutwhatmatters.wordpress.com/2014/01/13/passion-is-my-name/
très joli travail!