I graduated from Georgia Southern University in December of 2020. For my final project to graduate I had to do an art exhibit.

 

These works reflect the ideas of fortune telling and tarot through symbolism. I present symbols from tarot cards such as the Moon, the Sun, the Star, and more. A lot of these symbols represent new beginnings, happiness, sorrow, manifestation, and so on. I use dark colors with accents of bright colors to give drama and an antique feel to my work along with luster sprays and metallic detailing. These details make my plates look like they would belong in a fortune teller’s room and gives it the feel of being mysterious and alluring.

           

When creating my work, I look up references for the symbols I am going to use to paint on the plates and draw a sketch of how I want the plate to look. From there, I fully paint the plate the background color. I then sketch on the plate directly with either a white charcoal pencil for darker backgrounds or a graphite pencil for lighter backgrounds. I then begin painting. I add luster spray to my piece and sometimes add a metallic rim with a paint marker or some gold leaf detailing. This process is what gives my plates an antique and illuminating look.

 

            Artists that have influenced my work are Pamela Colman Smith and Lisa Sterle, who have both been involved in tarot card art. Pamela Colman Smith’s tarot art is the most popular and classic while Lisa Sterle is more recent and modern. I like to use both modern and traditional tarot art influences, like in my piece Death that uses a newer symbol for death with the Death Moth, but also looks like an antique with the use of luster spray and gold detailing. With a mix of having traditional and modern influences from tarot and recently learning more and more about tarot, my art has truly given me an awakening the same way tarot has.