Tarot Art Quilts 24"w x 36" h completed August 2001 |
Temperance |
Temperance Detail |
Construction: Hand dyed and commercial cottons, satins, cordouroy, lame. Beads, netting, variegated texture yarns, Tintzl and Pigma pen and Prismacolor pencil drawing. |
Artist Statement: My original design imagery for this card was based upon the traditional Rider Waite card, showing a figure with one foot in the water, one on the land. But I found that it didn't capture what I felt was really essential to the meaning of this card. Yes, Temperance is of course about balance, and not living in extremes. But the more important meaning to me is the other definition of the word temper, to harden metal, making it even stronger than it was originally. This is the tempering that gives us the ability to balance ourselves and our lives. So the image I chose to work with was of a woman balancing on a needle which is passing from the cauldron into the water, creating the steam surrounding her. All of the five elements are represented at the bottom of the piece, Earth, Air , Water, Fire, Spirit is the aura that surrounds the figure. We are born of Earth, pass through Fire to be tempered, cooled in Water, live in Air, Spirit infuses the rest of our lives ever after. |
These quilts were made as part of a collaborative group called the TAQP, Tarot Art Quilt Project. Our intention and goal is to publish a complete tarot deck and book, as well as to show the quilts as a group. When details are available regarding tour schedule or purchase of decks or books, I will post that information here. |
