About the Pieces
My desire to create a series of symbolic figures with meaning pertinent to the human condition was the impetus for this current body of work. I have created twenty-two sculptures, ranging in size from 9 inches to over 3 feet, to represent the major arcana figures of the Tarot.
The deck of cards known as the Tarot has its origins in fifteenth century Italy. Originally used as a game, it has come to be used as a tool for self-knowledge. Its popularity has surged in the last few years as it offers another avenue for finding meaning and direction.
Of the seventy-eight cards, twenty-two are known as the major arcana. These represent archetypal forces and the experience of the human journey.
The Tarot journey begins with the Fool who, traveling light and oblivious to possible pitfalls, innocently begins the adventure.
It ends with the World represented by an androgynous human figure existing in balance with dark and light, masculine and feminine, earth and spirit.
Some of my Tarot sculptures correspond to images represented in a classic Tarot deck. Others are very much my own interpretation of the archetype. Death for example, offers a radical view on the nature of death and dying.
When we come face to face with an archetype we are presented with an opportunity to consider our relationship to that particular aspect of our human nature and its current significance and meaning in our present situation. How do we react to the Empress, the evolved earthly female. What does she connote? What are our projections?
From where do they arise? How do we respond when a bolt of lightning breaks apart our comfortable, but limited tower of mental and physical constructs? Can we remain present, clear and centered when we turn to face our demons, our shadow self?