Baroque Bohemian Cats Tarot

lunakasha said:

Did anyone else notice that there is a naked guy swimming in the water???? Hmmmm......interesting!!!

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Yes indeed there is Dreams, the subconscious, hidden desires and imaginings... this deck is on one level just fun, but we want there to be another deeper level too. If it works the way we intend, then the cards will have enough serious layers of symbolism to be interesting.

I don't quite know how to describe what I really want for this deck, but it should tip you into the middle of a whole fantasy world and then release your imagination. I suppose I'm trying to touch on something a little like the effect that reading Alice in Wonderland has on me - though not as nightmarish as that. I want our Baroque Bohemian world to be fundamentally a happy one - but challenging.

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Oh - and congratulations on the new avatar! It's a nice choice.

Ooooohhh! Simply incredible.

Is that a fabric texture in the clouds? My eyes kept giving different opinions.

Hi Astra,

Thank-you
Yes, she is standing in front of a tapestry. We've used fabrics and tapestries a lot in this deck, it just felt appropriate (and it's a passion of mine, I did spend a few years a long time ago as a freelance fashion/textile designer).

I have a close friend in Suffolk, England who is a specialist in antique textiles and she gave us the run of what she had when we stayed with her at New Year. The tapestries aren't hers (they are museum pieces) but we have used the pattern from one of her fabrics on the skirt in The Moon. We are also using the most stunning table cover she has in our Queen of Cups - plus other things in other cards too. I was utterly happy going through all her wonderful pieces of textiles, you can imagine!

I'm glad this card is so well-liked. It is less realistic than the others - deliberately so - and we weren't sure what people would think of that.

Anyway, website soon I hope...

baba-prague said:

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Oh - and congratulations on the new avatar! It's a nice choice.

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Actually....this is still my original, under-100 avatar BUT when I get to 100 posts, I will have several more to choose from...yeah!

I think you are definitely achieving your vision for this deck...it is beautiful and features GORGEOUS cats...but this is far from being "fluffy" or a novelty deck. No, this one has teeth...it is fun, yet challenging, and there is plenty of detail (including naked men ) to make it a very intuitive, "working" deck.....you and Alex should be very proud of what you have accomplished.

Personally speaking, this deck couldn't have been more "right" for me if I had come up with the concept and/or had the talent to create it myself...it has so much appeal on so many levels.

I predict that this deck is going to be HUGE, one of the all-time bestsellers. And I don't claim to have above-average psychic abilities, BTW...I just have a very good feeling about this!

Luna

Oh whoops - sorry. I am hopeless in the mornings sometimes - I didn't read properly and assumed this was your new avatar - but have to say, I do like this, even if you want to change it
I love blue - it was a joke when I was in my studio in London that I did a lot of blue and violet and indigo!


Thanks for your encouragement about the deck. Alex was so tired last night when we posted The Moon, that he said "Don't show it, what if everyone wants it changed?" It isn't that we always respond to what people say (;-) ) but I do know how he felt. In the early days last summer and early autumn when we were struggling to find our feet with these image it felt like it would never come right. Then it just sort of clicked into place. It's so good that it's liked.

I think our cats (and others out there) have provided telepathic guidance - and pulled our strings!

Don't ever think we want the images changed. Of course, everyone's an editor, everyone would like to see this or that tweaked, but that doesn't mean that the images aren't perfect as they are. We are not the artists -- you are. Tell Alex that, please. Don't ever be discouraged by our reactions. I think it's pretty clear by the avid following this thread has that this deck is already a tremendous hit.

Thank you, Karen and Alex!

Kim

I'm curious, Karen - do you have any idea what the backs are going to look like yet?

Oh my...... I am so sorry about commenting about replacing the dogs with rats in 'tails'...... The cards are amazing, as is........

It has been an honor to participate in the 'unveiling' of this masterpiece!!!!

skytwig

ncefafn said:

All this talk of wondrous kitties has provoked my maternal pride. Here's a photo album of all my kitties, including the Magnificent Maeve:

http://homepage.mac.com/atalantaix/PhotoAlbum4.html

Kim

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These are so beautiful! Thank you for showing us these pictures.

I can't imagine what life would be like without a cat now, but these beauties....wow

The Moon card: Absolutely beautiful, I'm with everyone else on that one. And I'm glad you included two "towers" in there with all the rest, I think a Moon card is not complete without those.

I very much understand what you said about tipping into a dream world. This deck really achieves that from what I've seen so far.

Personally, when it comes time to market this deck(I'm not an expert), I think you would benefit from showing of the cards the way you have on this forum thread. Without some good representative images on the packaging of the deck, or some other examples for people to look at in bookstores or wherever, you may find this deck relegated to "children dressing up their cute kitties in cutesy costumes". I'm exagerating there but I think you get what I mean. People have to see these images in order to know how different the deck is.

P.S. Oh, thank you for posting the king?/knight? of swords earlier. That is also quite good.