I don’t know how “into” tarot decks my readers are. I’m not into tarot cards myself, really, beyond decks like the Deviant Moon Tarot that appeal to my particular taste in macabre and grotesque art. The Wooden Tarot is definitely one of these exceptional artworks.
It doesn’t exist yet, however.
It does have a kickstarter campaign and a modest, very-attainable goal of 5,000 USD, however. You can help make this dreamy deck a reality for freelance artist and illustrator Amy Swartz and her fans by spreading the word and making donations.
For this project, I will be recreating the 22 card Major Arcana portion of the 78 card tarot deck into a 1000 edition deck. I will be borrowing from the imagery and mysticism of the most popular Rider-Waite-Smith deck, while injecting my own cast of surreal creatures and props as the subjects of each card. I want the deck to have the same level of mysticism as traditional decks, but with a more natural feel that is distinctly different from every other tarot. A lot of the characters that show up in the deck have been inspired by previous pieces of mine. I aim to emphasize the concepts of the Fool’s Journey, the Circle of Life, and the symbiotic relationships of all living things.
Sample art from the prospective Wooden Tarot deck. Art by Amy Swartz.
I urge my readers to forward this to their friends, family, “frenemies,” arch-nemeses, whomever, to give this project a chance. And, if you donate at least 25 USD, you’ll get a limited edition copy of the deck (depending upon how many of those 1,000 decks remain)! Hooray divinatory goodies (if you’re into that sort of thing) and fine art!
Like all Kickstarter campaigns, if the project doesn’t get the funding it needs, donors don’t lose their investment in it. The campaign ends April 15th, so go forth and whore this project around like there’s no tomorrow!
