Eight of Crystals (Spades)
Playing with a Full Deck of Local Artists
Card of the Year
My card for the year has been Eight of Spades/Swords, a tricky omen about restraint, constriction, hibernation, stasis, and PAUSE. These are all themes I find a bit sticky and also good practice. If you read my substack newsletter last month, you know I've been feeling called back inward with lots of dreaming and pondering. I found myself drawing caves and caverns in my sketchbook. This substack newsletter was fascinating to read about the Eight of Swords as womb.
For their 100 year anniversary, The Boulder Arts Association ( BAA) is making a deck of artists playing cards. Each artist will design one card from the deck in their style. When I saw that eight of spades was still available I had to snag it and thank the universe for the synchronicity. At first I thought I would create a web with a spider, as the potential of a spider waiting in her web felt like an apt metaphor for the card.
When it came time to paint, a cave appeared instead.
My Contribution to the Deck
This card is the most exciting art I made this year. I completed the card with Eight watercolor crystals. I've had the idea to collage individual watercolor crystals instead of stamped ephemera into a painting for a while, but haven't found the piece to try out the idea. Thankfully, this art card was the perfect playground to give the idea a try and it turned out great. I am looking forward to seeing all the other artist cards in the deck in October at the Openings.
We are thrilled to announce that BAA’s 100th Anniversary Exhibit will be held in OCTOBER at the NoBo Art Center (4929 Broadway unit “E”)!
This historic event will align with three art-based non-profits for an unforgettable (and highly trafficked) event.
-NoBo First Friday: October 4th, 6:00 – 9:00 PM (Visit this LINK to learn more!)
-Open Studios Tours: First 3 weekends of October (5th &6th, 12th & 13th, 19th & 20th, Noon – 5:00 PM)
-Boulder Art Association Artist Reception: SAT October 12th, 5:00-8:00 PM, Awards 6:00 PM
I am also inspired to try this technique out in some other paintings. I have a collection of canvases wanting to become something, some kind of inner cave series exploring the transition into motherhood, and this might be just what the art has been waiting for. It may be a while before I find time to be in my studio with other life happenings over the next few months, but I feel the pause as fruitful and fomenting.
A clean studio, a space of anticipation
After finishing the card I found time to deep clean my studio. As of this writing it is the tidiest and most organized it has been since before Arlo was born, possibly since Open Studios 2022. I cleared every surface. I put everything away. I organized all my marking tools by color, and placed them in new holders. I threw away crusty paintbrushes, scraps of paper and packaging, anything broken or dried up. I took a bin of materials that I rarely used out to the garage. The bin had been sitting packed in front of my bookshelf for at least six months. I am surprised how large my studio is when everything is in its place and I am not currently wrestling with a project. It feels good, like a temple of possibility that will be waiting for me when I return.
This Month over on Patreon we return to the Beauty Oracle with the first of the Challenge Cards- V Know Your Truth
Through trial and error and a bit of serendipity the Beauty Oracle deck is divided into two major categories. The first are the Beauty Meditations, which are the style of cards that many of you have already received. There are 22 of these cards, roughly mapped to the Major Arcana from Tarot, and they play with elements of the natural world like flowers, birds, and crystals to spark meditation on Beauty.
The second are the Beauty Challenge cards, five cards that seek a deeper level of transformation. These are mapped to the senses and the body and also anchor the five beauty meditation categories mentioned previously in this post. The five cards are:
I Clean the River- Taste / Mouth / Water
II Attune with Shadow- Smell / Nose / Earth
III Listen for Primordial Secrets- Sound / Ears / Air
IV Improve Reality- Touch / Hands / Fire
V Know your Truth- Sight / Eyes / Spirit
We are beginning with the final card V Know Your Truth because that was the challenge card I drew to work on during my art retreat at Elsewhere.
The Offerings
For this month I will release a monthly update and digital goodies with one of the challenge activities from the Zine for my Khindness Patrons.
Magickal Mail club will also receive the V Know Your Truth sticker card with the special snake skin back
and Zine Club will also receive the Book of Mirrors Zine that will accompany the sticker card.
Truth has been a constant theme for me these past few weeks so returning to it here with the writing of the Beauty Oracle feels rich and meaningful. Be well and Blessed Be, ~Khiri 🌷