daenys
...is that it seems like the artist has devoted all their energies to the Trumps first, but when it comes to the suit cards, I often get the feeling that they were tired of the endeavor by the time they finished the trumps. I try to check out new decks at conventions, especially if the illustrator is present at the booth, but most of the time I get the feeling that they used up their brilliance on the trumps and decided to phone it in on the rest.
Anybody else get that impression?
This is exactly how I feel about the Joie de Vivre. The trumps are gorgeous, and many of the minors, but the detail is so variable. For example:
http://www.paulina.ws/joiedevivre/cups3.html
http://www.paulina.ws/joiedevivre/coinspage.html
http://www.paulina.ws/joiedevivre/5hierophant.html
http://www.paulina.ws/joiedevivre/coinsknight.html
The suit of Coins in particular I feel like Paulina Cassidy gave up halfway through. Don't even get me started on some of the cross-eyed faces...
It's a lovely deck; I just wish it was more aesthetically coherent.