Echoes Through Time
At the start of this year, I knew I wanted another tarot project to throw myself into.
Last year, I released an update to my Wisdom of the Depths tarot and a new oracle deck. Both fun projects (and I learnt so much about my native wildlife with the Animal Spirits of the Sacred Isles oracle).
I’ve had the idea for the Echoes Through Time tarot for several years. I adore the process of using vintage artwork in digital collage (both previously mentioned decks are digital collage). It’s pure magic being able to take some things created long ago, by long-dead artists, and breathe new life into the artwork they created. I kept wondering what wisdom the models would want to share with a modern audience. The subjects, like the artists, have also been dead for years, so it’s like touching the realm of the ancestors and asking for guidance from them.
I started collecting public domain, vintage photographs a while back. I cut quite a few out (using Sketchbook on my almost-as-old as the photographs themselves tablet), ready to transform them into something else but I couldn’t get the feel for it. I put it aside in my growing pile of ‘run out of steam tarot/oracle projects.’
But, Echoes Through Time tarot still felt like it needed to be birthed. Rather than use photographs as the main subject, I decided to look at vintage art. Something clicked, and I began to create.
At the time of writing, I’ve completed almost half of the cards needed for a 78-card tarot deck.
Kickstarter has approved my project already, but I won’t make it live until I’ve finished all the cards (probably). I’m so grateful for crowdfunding because I wouldn’t be able to bring my tarot or oracle decks to life without generous backers. Fingers crossed that this will be a success!
Each card has its own story. It’s been a co-creation process with the spirit of the original artwork guiding my vision. Having said that, there are a few cards where my ideas have been rejected (maybe even going so far as to say stamped on or laughed at by the spirit of the original artwork) and the card has turned out nothing like my original vision for it.
For example, I found what I thought would make a perfect four of wands. It took me ages to cut out and then it wouldn’t fit nicely into a tarot-sized card. I changed backgrounds, shrunk images, and fiddled around for hours. It just wasn’t to be. Once I’d decided on a different main image, it flowed, and I loved the new card. It feels right.
Being a digital artist means there are no messy brushes or splattered paint to share with you. I’d quite like an artist’s studio, but I work in my little house near the sea with my laptop as my canvas and Photoshop and Sketchbook as my tools. However, I’m going to share my creation journey with you. There’s a reason behind every card, each has a story to tell, and I’d love to know what you see in the cards too. Do the spirits of the ancestors talk to you through them as they speak to me?
