Hello Groovy Babies! Some of you might know that I held a small solo exhibition at SET Dalston in London showing my work dedicated to tarot. I exhibited 6 paintings and created a full deck of 76 cards based on the original Ryder Waite cards from 1909. It was great to see familiar and new faces there and be able to celebrate and talk in person! All that just a day before the full moon while enjoying a glass of wine. I love summer 🌞
Before I get into telling you more about the exhibition and the inspiration behind it I would like to thank you all for sticking around in this space. You probably all know by now that Instagram has changed their algorithm yet again and they are pushing real hard the reel game, competing with Tik Tok about world internet domination. Instagram used to be about community and creativity but we all know we never really had the control. The platform decides who gets the attention and who doesn’t, who goes viral and who does, who grows and who doesn’t. One moment you are running a successful business with the connections you have build over years, the next moment your account is down and your only chance of getting it back is reasoning with an automated robot. So thank you again for being here, reading and letting me cut through the internet noise and deliver something, something every now and then.
One of me favourite things about tarot is that it brings people together.Not only that, it has the magical quality of getting even the most sceptic people to open up and share. My ever-growing love for tarot started about 6-7 years ago when I friend of mine suggested I should get a deck to help me nurture my intuition (thanks David!). Little did I know it would open the Pandora box of spirituality for me. I have a suspicion he knew exactly what was coming. Since then it’s been a journey of digging deep, learning how to use it as a tool of connection with others. Sacred circles with friends, shedding tears, talking when I thought I had nothing to say.
I decided I wanted to explore the mysticism that surrounds tarot through my visual work and see what the deck can teach me and reveal to me while I paint it. The materials used for the 6 paintings are oil bars and paper. Simple, raw and bold. I discovered it was really important to embody the energy of the archetype I was working on.
What is Temperance communicating with me, what can I learn from her? How can I be a master of the physical and non physical in my own life and as an artist?
I had to be very careful and strategic with the symbolism used in the paintings in order to stay close to the original meaning. This is one of the reason I found it so fitting with my process of bold marks and bright colours.
I have been playing with the idea of releasing a Tarot Deck, but never really felt like I could commit to 76 carefully drawn cards. So instead I decided to draw them super quick while sitting in the park, on the train, in a hotel on my birthday. Spontaneous prose is what Kerouac called it. Writing on the go. So here I am drawing on the go. If any of you are interested in the deck do let me know as I would love to do a small batch of this wonky gremlins.
Until next time, stay connected 👽❤️✌🏼
Peace,
Dessy xx
you're a gift to us all, Dessy