Shadowscapes Tarot

As suggested by some posts in this thread, it may not appeal to everyone, (what deck does ?), but despite that it looks really beautiful and will no doubt be a success both as a deck and as individual prints.... I know I'll be getting some.

elvenstar said:

The fact the most images seem to have the same colouring is a bit weird though, I tend to rely on that for readings too.

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It looks to me like each suit has a specific colour that dominates...Swords are purple, Cups are blue, Wands are yellow/orange, Pentacles are green. The majors are a mix of all the colours. I really look forward to this deck!

Ok, after posting I went back to the website and looked at it some more (insert drooled) and actually reached the same conclusion as you HearthCricket

Now nothing can save me from getting this deck! Hopefully I'll have the money by 2008, it looks like it could be quite expensive...

Apocalipstick said:

She's a fairly well-known fantasy artist, so she won't have any problems finding someone to publish the deck, or finding people to buy the prints.

They're exceedingly pretty for the type of art they are, and the deck's name is evocative enough, but as some have already pointed out, what's lacking in depth is padded with sugar.

Obviously, this is just my opinion.

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my personal perception is that her art possesses great depth and sensitivity, it's deceptively subtle and elegant. unlike other artists who resort to superficial layers of "dark" atmospherics and obvious cliches to catch the viewers eye, Stephanie has created a series of nimbly animated images imbued with a wealth of allegory that reflects a confident spirit and great finesse of hand.

I don't deny that she is a wonderful artist. Her work is amazing.

I just think that as a reading deck, it is not sharp enough. I think that for reflection, it might be interesting. But in a reading, it might be difficult to even tell them apart [especially in a dim light], let alone try to understand what the cards are saying.

I think it is easy to see something painted as beautifully as these [not that they are that much different from some of the stuff LoS put out, in my opinion] and say 'that's gorgeous, I want it'. But when it comes to actually performing readings, people end up getting frustrated with something as wishy-washy as this, and require those obvious cliches - the RWS is full of them, which is probably why people learn and return to it. What kind of decks do you mean, when you suggest 'superficial layers of "dark" atmospherics and obvious cliches'? Might help in understanding where you are coming from.

LB

Very pretty but it does nothing for me.

I don't really care for this type of artwork and agree with Marion that the images look a lot like greetings cards.

I'm sure there will be masses of folks who will love this and think it's wonderful but I don't think that I'll be one of them.

I agree Sulis. I think that as time goes on [certainly for both you and I], there has come a point where you just want to strip away all the unnecessary pomp and get straight to the core meaning - by number, colour or strength of character/element/archetype. For me, this is like going all round the houses. And the more that you bung on, the further away you find yourself from your required destination. It just isn't focused and direct enough.

I am not slating this deck out of unkindness, incidently. Just saying what I see, as someone who has experienced many pretty decks that just couln't cut the mustard when it came down to reading. Pretty to look through, but thats about the size of it.

LB

LittleBuddha said:

What kind of decks do you mean, when you suggest 'superficial layers of "dark" atmospherics and obvious cliches'? Might help in understanding where you are coming from.

LB

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we had this discussion before LB (it's me trismegistus).
I specifically had the Archeon in mind.

I think this is a perfect example where personal preference and taste comes into play when one decides whether they like or dislike a deck. I am a visual person who love layers. I find the layers enhance my readings and my connection with them and even the tiniest of details helps me create the story that a reading reveals. For others the simpler the deck and artwork, the better it works for them. I, for example, could never read from the minors of a Marseille deck and get absolutely nothing from them, other than their historical nature. But give me the Gilded or the Russian St. Petersburg or any of my favourites that are full of detail and my readings come out nicely.

I feel this forum is really named well, because not only does it reflect the aeclectic nature of tarot decks, but also that of the reader/collector!

It's VERY beautiful. But a bit TOO beautiful for me though. What is it with all these fairy themes in tarot? Now if it were a deck full of ugly devils, hmmmm.....