Watcher Angel Tarot

0. The Fool

This was the first card I made. Still finding the style, I looked heavily at the works of Arthur Rackham. This was also the first time I employed the splattering and free paint technique for the background.

I. The Magician

II. The High Priestess

This is one of the few cards thus far with an actual background. And yes, the figure is meant to have a more androgynous look.

III. The Empress

I thought about the color of mother, of creation and potential and tried to incorporate the meaning into the card by emoting it through the colors of the background.  Warm, embracing, like being inside someones heart.  That is rather what I thought when I painted this, that the colors represented the inside of a heart, of birth, of comfort. 

IV. The Emperor

Power for the sake of power, the Divine Right of Kings.

V. The Hierophant

I am very pleased with the drapery of the card, as well as the depiction of the sheer fabric.

VII. The Chariot

The Chariot is about a journey, but also about harnessing the powers of heaven and earth and finding a balance. The Rider Waite deck has the man driving two horses, one of light and one of dark. This deck has an angel carrying Enoch to heaven, but only the balance and cooperation of both of them allow for safe flight.

VIII. Strength

The card represents savageness becoming tame by art or beauty. Beauty overcoming or overpowering the beast, so to speak. The woman in the card is inspired by a Mucha print which I found very appropriate to represent beauty.

IX. The Hermit

I really like this card. I was inspired by "Fair Helena", an Arthur Rackham illustration from A Midsummer Nights Dream for this cards overall feeling.

X. The Wheel of Fortune

This card, not just the meaning, but the particular imagery of this card touched me in such a way... it opened doors... no, I cannot describe it adequately.   I will not discuss the card further, I will instead let you all ponder and think on it.  For those of you who like to puzzle about something, I will point out that the position of the gears is particularly meaningful.

XI. Justice

Michelle had a vision of this card, and her description brought this image to bear.  She provided me a quote which pulled the image into full focus: "The veil that conceals the face of Mercy."  This is Justice. It is the direct opposite of Death in coloring, though it bears a similar style in outward design.   In one hand, Justice holds in perfect balance the ostrich feather of Ma'at, and in the other a dagger.  I love the marble coloring.

XII. The Hanged Man

An internal conflict, and the bonds we are tied with are the ones we impose on ourselves.  Bound, but not without hope.  Surrendering to the struggle...

XIII. Death

This image was very powerful to me. It's not death as much as it is destruction. Destruction begets creation, creation begets destruction. It is "change".

XIV. Temperance

This image depicts the balance of being half here on the physical plain, and half in the spiritual.  I used a technique called "grisaille" or gray scale.  It is a nod to the technique used in the Book of Hours of Jeanne d'Evreux, a petite book of hours from the workshop of Jean Pucelle c.1325, France.

XV. The Devil

The Devil. Not a dark take, very bright and beautiful. Temptation in the eyes. I think the card is quite distinctive in comparison to the other major arcana with its stark white unpainted background. Plus, it actually looks like Michelle.

XVI. The Tower

This was the second complete card that survived the artistic process of discovering the style of the deck. Again very inspired by Arthur Rackham, specifically by his illustrations for Wagner's "The Ring". Two angels fall to earth to the village below the gleaming city.

XVII. The Star

This card is so inspired by the art of Alphonse Mucha... I love it. It's my tribute to his art.

XVIII. The Moon

I like the mystery and power this card seems to invoke. The eyes are the first thing I notice about this card.

XIX. The Sun

I enjoyed painting this card, it reminds me of how I will see certain spirits.

XX. Judgement

Judgment....... yeah....
A friend of mine posed for the card, and not only does it look like him, it fits his personality perfectly.
Warriors aren't exactly warm and fuzzy.