A ribbon around a bomb.

wooden-eye

Very nice work, wooden-eye!
I'm happy to see where this is going, and particularly that you're going forward in your own design & rendering styles, rather than trying to mimic Frida's.

I'm a long-time fan of the whole circle of Khalo, Varo, and Carrington.
I expect they'd all be pleased with you.
Bravo!

Thanks OnePotato!
What a wonderful notion- that those ground breaking heroines of art could be pleased. From the outset I have had my serious head on in an effort not to produce artwork which only honors Frida's life and work. It is a tall order, but I can not insult or in anyway ape or disrepect her.
Yes perhaps I really only can paint in my own way. I have already renegued on the oil painting aspect; chosing to stick with acrylics, where I find changes may be more easily made and my canvas is dry and handleable.

Thank you for your input guys. There are many social media platforms for us deck makers, but AC retains its place as the best for discussion.
 

wooden-eye

No picture today.
I thought I would post a few incites I have been having regarding making a deck based on the life of Frida Kahlo.
I started research something over a year ago, mostly looking, reading, watching and taking notes. Trying to sort through the mountains of media which appears to grow in size daily.
I found nothing which particularly surprised or shocked me. I made a friend along the way and we formed a long distant bond which extended into a trusting agreement that she would write a book to compliment the deck and my deck would in turn compliment her book. So each have their own personality, rather than depend entirely upon eachother.
This is wonderful and as I so much love a challenge and appear to need a giant mountain to conquer, (Capricorn Sun, Aquarius rising, moon in Pisces).
Now it gets a bit personal. Around October, long term issues I have had with anaemia came to a head and I was forced to take ever more radical steps to level it out. I would call myself a high functioning hypochondriac- ie medical anxiety, it is classed as an OCD. In my case, totally fine for ages then bang, something happens and forced into the Doctor's surgery, the more often I am there I begin to lose the mental upper-hand and panic begins.
Last week I had surgery to try and fix the problem in a somewhat radical, basic way. Now I am okay, but here is where I get to the Frida part. The contact and decisions which must be made regarding medical interventions in one's health are extremely worrying. Being in the hands of changing strangers and trusting them not to do you more damage when all they seem to be able to do is fix a symptom on a given day, is a burden. As I have been in the doldrums of shock, pain, fear, guilt and shame one definitely gets after having only a minor procedure, the aftermath has me almost tangibly empathathizing with Frida's entire life.
We admire her strength, her radical life and her great- against the odds-love for Diego. In reality surely she was just muddling along, staggering from one distraction to another as she coped with physical and mental anguish, which was only bareable for short lucid periods. Her painting always cathartic, always an escape. Her obsessive love for Diego, really the deep need of a wounded child-woman who longs to be engulfed by this huge protective man, that she may trust him to sooth her and to never be truly detered by the ravishes of her depressive nature.
Though my own current situation does not even come close, I do feel a bit Frida right now and it is not a good place to be. Not reverential towards her, I never have been, just so sad, teary even, that her life was as it was and how short it was. Likely wanting to, yet never able to pursue a spiritual path, let alone attain an enlightened state. It seem that she survived until she didn't.
Her story is interesting, sometimes fantastical, but the closer I draw myself to her the more I feel almost repelled by her humanity- in the way that magnets repel and attract. Right now I feel if I get too close I will match her further. It is very uncomfortable. Frida's energy is not strong and empowering, rather, the opposite infused with anger, futility yet never sibmission or acceptance.
It is a strange position. I am not at all detered and likely it is my own detritus further enburdening Frida, but I am wary to spend a couple of years in her energy.
I am adding at the end, this is not the whole story or the whole of this complex, talented, bright-minded woman, but certainly to be included in my deck.
 

wooden-eye

Well thankfully, I have returned from my bout of blues and managed to paint another card.
Today I have the Seven of Swords.
Definitely an atypical interpretation of the image.
A number of years ago Frida's journals were published. One of the most memorable images she made was a striking, scratchy sketch of a foot shaped vase with whithered flowers. Following the onset of gangrene Frida was forced to ampuate her foot. It was 'Hobson's choice'. The only to be made given the situation. This fits my own interpretation of the Seven of Swords which I often connect to doing what needs to be done not perhaps that which one might prefer. Eg the woman who shoplifts to feed her hungry children.
The card also speaks of trust. Here Frida was forced to trust her doctors, though her own instincts may have taught her the medics were not infalliable.
Well enough of those poorly refined thoughts.
Here is the card.
 

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Laurelle

These are beautiful.

Very Frida but also daliesque. I see the Thoth reference in the 7 of cups.
 

OnePotato

Nice job.

Interesting color choices. A moonlit still-life.

Even more interesting is the take-on-a-take: Frida drew a foot-vase in response to something, and you painted one in response to her response. This is the sort of layering that one can get when one is working closely with a compelling world/story, rather than a more general "theme." And particularly when the world/story is that of an artist. I like that.
 

wooden-eye

Nice job.

Interesting color choices. A moonlit still-life.

Even more interesting is the take-on-a-take: Frida drew a foot-vase in response to something, and you painted one in response to her response. This is the sort of layering that one can get when one is working closely with a compelling world/story, rather than a more general "theme." And particularly when the world/story is that of an artist. I like that.

Yes OnePotato. Gathering all the threads of the artist's narrative, her imagery, a prescribed colour scheme and synthesizing it all through my own understanding and interpretation of a given tarot card is frankly a most gratifying artistic brief. Though this makes it sound over-complicated as likely most art and all design is made in such a climate.
One may take bets on whether such process will result in an unbewildering finished tarot deck. Only time will tell.
Thank you OnePotatoe. You are prompting that which is unconscious to step forward. Always valuable.
 

wooden-eye

These are beautiful.

Very Frida but also daliesque. I see the Thoth reference in the 7 of cups.

Thanks Laurelle!
Frida and tarot is bringing Surrealism knocking.

I dreamt last night -( well just now as it is 7.30 am and a public holiday) my husband told me his band had a new name. I asked what. He said "Sixteen". I gasped "The Tower!" Telling him that was a very serious name for a band and parroting off what it meant. He casually said " I know."

Now hopefully, this refers to my intention to begin "the Tower " today (it has been vying for my attention for over a week) and not to any premonition of disaster as my Dear One is having his left hip replaced on Wednesday......
I shall carry on with my painty plan regardless and trust in the knowledge, I have never before displayed any psychic abilities- so why start now?
 

Laurelle

Thanks Laurelle!
Frida and tarot is bringing Surrealism knocking.

I dreamt last night -( well just now as it is 7.30 am and a public holiday) my husband told me his band had a new name. I asked what. He said "Sixteen". I gasped "The Tower!" Telling him that was a very serious name for a band and parroting off what it meant. He casually said " I know."

Now hopefully, this refers to my intention to begin "the Tower " today (it has been vying for my attention for over a week) and not to any premonition of disaster as my Dear One is having his left hip replaced on Wednesday......
I shall carry on with my painty plan regardless and trust in the knowledge, I have never before displayed any psychic abilities- so why start now?

We all have our own abilities. We all work together to form a whole. So you are right where you are needed, making beautiful pieces of art.

It seems like your artistic endeavors are channeled through a superconsciousness that you possessed while your husband had a conscious decision to name the band Sixteen, while your subconscious said,"tower," which I presume will result in the superconsciousness flowing through into your art. (Lovers)

1 is the magician and 6 is the lovers.
 

wooden-eye

We all have our own abilities. We all work together to form a whole. So you are right where you are needed, making beautiful pieces of art.

It seems like your artistic endeavors are channeled through a superconsciousness that you possessed while your husband had a conscious decision to name the band Sixteen, while your subconscious said,"tower," which I presume will result in the superconsciousness flowing through into your art. (Lovers)

1 is the magician and 6 is the lovers.

Fabulous incites Laurelle. I hadn't thought to see 16 in this way. Though early on in my tarot making days, I considered my own relationship with tarot as that of the Lovers, and the Magician certainly descibes the making process.
Thanks Laurelle!
 

wooden-eye

Okay so....
Here is the drawing for The Tower.
I have neglected my own advice and made the drawing too detailed, so I am expecting to have to wrangle it into the painting.
SHE IS FLYING APART.
A feeling I have had myself.
 

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