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I'm taking a short break from drawing to talk about drawing! and of course to examine the influence of another card from my tarot deck. "Home" will be my first gallery show that I have created especially for that event. It's a lot! more stressful and deadline driven. I have so much work to do but I'm determined to make it happen! This show is an opportunity to convey a look and feel of offbeat Americana with a little more subtlety and limited resources. "Home" is illustrations of found photos from the 1930's-1950's that I feel are SLIGHTLY off then I exaggerate in the illustration. I'm hoping very much that it comes across the way I'm putting it out. I love how I like to give myself challenging tasks that make me frustrated and anxious. I suppose I'll never be bored this way :) If your a local the info for the opening is on the flyer. Come or don't, whatever works for you! 
Page of Swords Truthfully, when this piece began it was going to be the 2 of Swords card when I thought it was going to be realistic to illustrate all the cards in my lifetime. The image of a woman with 2 swords and a blind fold instantly made me think of this theme, however it worked quite well for the page of swords and opened the door to the idea of making the Pages little girls. The idea of this card is to not buckle under pressure and keep focused, even when things are heating up a bit. Below are some of the influences for the card and the history of it's theme. Enjoy! I know I always enjoy these photos! Here are a few photos I saved for reference. I love the aesthetic alone of these images. Essentially, knife tossing was a circus act usually performed by the skilled knife tosser and a lovely woman. When many circus's began to perform this act the pressure to step up your game was increased. Some performed the act on a spinning wheel with someone attached to it. Other's decided to increase the tension by throwing knives at a child. My very favorite example of this is the youtube video below of a newsreel from the 50's. Incredibly fascinating and intriguing! Enjoy! Now, back to drawing for me. There is one final note I would love some feedback on. I am looking into putting the tarot deck in stores across the U.S. Is there a particular store that you think it would look at home in? Please share! Thanks!
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Recently I've been itching for a more specific answer to some of my inquiries of my deck. I will always love the basic card spread I've been using for many years but I thought it would be pretty cool to make a couple of my own! After more practice with them I would like to use them for readings in the future and I suggest you do as well! They have been fairly insightful for me thus far, and please! share you experiences with your readings here! I wanna hear ALLLL about it!
Tarot Card spread for a Spirituality 1. Your family traditions 2. Your spiritual gifts and strengths 3. Where faith is lacking 4. The Course of action This reading should be all encompassing for all beliefs. It tells you about your background, the good to focus on and where there is room for improvement in your faith. Tarot Card Spread for Creativity 1. Where your creativity or project is at right now 2. The challenge facing you. 3. Your creative head space. 4. Outside influence 5. Where to look for inspiration. 6. Future of project or creativity 7. Overall Use this reading when you have writers block or artist's block or have hit a brick wall with a project. Enjoy! Let me know if you have any questions! P.S. Check out this spread as well! I LOVE this for relationship advice Tarot spread for relationship problem solving _ After a full day at the Curiosity Shop I'm finally ready to write my weekly blog! It's been a good week for American Obscura Tarot! Had a good time at the Mourning Market, sold a few decks and have been running to the post office pretty often to ship more. Glad I have my sercret post office locations SHH! nooooo linnnneeesss ;) Additional news is that I'll be reading tarot at the Mourning Market ladie's dance night, Nocturne on Friday and I have been accepted to vend at the Punk Rock Flea Market this summer! Should be fun. :) Wheel of Fortune
Card Inspiration When I think of the Wheel of Fortune underbelly Americana style. How could I not think of a city that was created by the mob to feed America's need for instant gratification and vice? oh and of course the Wheel of Fortune game itself. There's a very distinct look to the Vegas show girls and continues to be something of a tradition in certain shows in Vegas. Elaborate, shiny feathery costumes and of course, because I'm me, I have to contradict that with scar tissue and manikin hands. I enjoy putting something stark, real and raw with something plastic and fake. The statement I'm going for is everything has cracks when you look close enough. Vegas is the American dream at it's shiniest and most hollow. When people always ask me why I like Vegas and why I enjoy traveling there, it's so fake and shallow, I say that it's a lesson in culture for me and I enjoy seeing people behave exactly as they've always wanted to. There's an honesty to it that contradicts the fantasy of it and I like that a lot. Las Vegas has been a den of vice since the 1930's when workers from around the world came to build the hoover dam but the man who started it's allure and style was gangster Bugsy Siegel who built the Flamingo Hotel. Although he never enjoyed the fruits of nefarious labor, it started a city that was owned and controlled by the mob from the get go. Now Vegas is like a slightly more PG-R rated Disneyland but if you pay attention you can see old Vegas all around you and if you wander off the strip you might see some causalities of that American dream of over indulgence. ARtwork Kitty Baby photographed by me I had a TREMENDOUS amount of help with this one. The one woman in the piece is a combination of 3 wonderful women as well as the drawing being based on a gorgeous 60's actress that I realized my friend April Cornell really resembled (depicted bellow) I also had the extremely good fortune to have a wonderful and genuine show girl, my friend Kitty Baby come over with her all her negligee and incredible ideas. Lastly my friend Christy Brooker was nice enough to let me photograph her scar tissue to sample for skin textures.  April Cornell photographed by me 3 beautiful, interesting and talented women to help me build one crazy showgirl lady. I'm very lucky to have so much great help! After drawing the head and body separately, photographing manikins, feathers glitter and my models I began to assemble as I do layering various textures and costuming onto her until I feel like she's complete! There we have our wheel of fortune! 
Christy Brooker photographed by me
Card MeaningUpright this card is a good sign! It means good luck for you and change for the better. This could mean the beginning of something new and exciting for you such as career advancement, a new job, a new love. Reversed it can mean your going a little too far. You might be indulging too much or living too extravagantly. I believe in luck but you also have to look for the right opportunities and jump at them. It pays to always be on your toes and not drown in your good fortune.
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April 2016
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