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Here's the truth of it. You know... Humans are
very strange animals. They are the only species that
creates for the sake of creation. They are one of the few
species that have sex, for the sake of having sex. They
are the only species capable of thinking abstractly. They
are the only species that denies their instincts.
Each of us brings to life our own unique perspective,
on the world, on life, on the seen and unseen. We
approach each circumstance carrying our own brand of
baggage that influences how we view the world. That is
why a room full of artists, poets, writers, musicians,
photographers etc. can share the same experience, and no
two visions of the event will be the same. Each vision
will posses the flavor of its creator. And each vision
has value. The parable of six blind men describing an
elephant that they have encountered for the first time,
springs to mind. Each will describe something different,
and each will be right. No one description is any more
valid than the next. Each blind man will see and
describe what he can see, or wants to see.
Our perceptions are our reality. That is not to say,
there is no bad art...there is, most definitely. It is
the art that is false. It is the falseness of the vision
that makes the art bad. It is the preconceived
impression that makes the vision false.
There are those who critique an experience before
they have it, before they have been given the tools to
have the experience. Gauguin told Van Gogh that he
painted too fast, Van Gogh replied that Gauguin
looked too fast. Most of us are guilty of this. Our
daily lives are made up of sound bites, 60 second info-mercials,
3.5 minute songs, billboards, and a plethora of other
distractions and static. How are we to make sense of the
chaos that assaults our senses? How are able to focus
and perceive our existence in any other way? We do it by
selection. We select what is important and discount what
is not. We approach each element of our lives, and
filter it through all the doubt, bitterness, love,
disappointment, joy, etc. that we have accumulated
through out our journey to arrive at a conclusion that
is comfortable and matches our perception of the way
things are. But...by doing this, we deprive ourselves of
one of natures greatest gifts. The gift of variety. It
is only when we step outside our emotional safe-zone,
that we truly grow. Only when we question all that we
know to be true, will we run the risk of becoming
greater than ourselves. When we began this project,
(of making Tarot cards), it was out of a sense of
exploration, self-discovery and self expression. We did
not do it because we were 'Tarot Heads', indeed only
one member of the staff had ever owned a deck, or had a
reading. Nor did we do it to 'make a buck', (we're
artists, none of us expects to ever be financially
comfortable), we did it because we had never done it
before. We did it because it was a poem, that was elusive,
intangible, mysterious and touched on the fringes of our
perceptions, beckoning us to explore, to take a chance.
It was never intended to be financial endeavor. We chose
the RWS as a starting point because it was the only deck
we had, (I had purchased it at a flea market for a buck,
and it sat around for a full decade), and because it has
become an icon. When a lay-person thinks of the Tarot,
the images of the RWS come to mind. It took a year for
four people to create the deck, since we were novices
concerning the Tarot, much of that time was spent
researching the iconography of the images, then
interpreting that iconography on an individual, personal
level. Areas of responsibility were tasked. [Viktor
created 36, 12"x12" 'Sky' paintings, in
traditional media, the Dreamwalker
series, that we used as the background foundation.,
(they are awe-inspiring in 'real-life' & hung
together)]. Numerous 'skull-sessions' took place where
we talked about what each others creations
meant/felt-like, what to leave in, what to take out,
what is true to the meaning of the card, what is eye
candy. It unified the team and sparked the studio during
the uncertain and lean economic times in '08. We
approached the creation of the deck as if WE were the
client, as indeed we were. Numerous styles were
explored, using the same images. We found that each
style brought something new to the image, another level
of meaning to the poem. It was an intangible, a feeling,
that, (we found), opened up yet one more level to an
already complex instrument. One thing was certain. The
Tarot has been in existence for centuries. We felt that
'our' deck should reflect that longevity. That meant,
that much of the work, would be 'hand-work', with all
the imperfections that the technique implies. The cards
would be stained and foxed, the images raggedly formal.
Some details would be repeated, as in old-world
tapestries, to provide continuity and provide a
'cast-of-characters'. The cards would be hand cut. The
fonts used would look as if done by a monk who stole a
few moments from illuminating yet another
"Book-of-Hours', to title our cards. We settled on
two versions. The first, looked is if it was made from a
series of engravings, printed on old parchment. The
sepias, browns, and touches of crimson provide a warm
glow to an otherwise stark black and white image. The
second version we chose looked as if it had been created
using a technique called Mezzotint. The colors are a
study in Primaries, and are somewhat 'softened' with a
powdery texture. The focus of the card, emphasized with
a heavy line. Once the corresponding cards from the
decks were laid side by side, the differences in the
"feel" of the decks literally leapt from the table, and
the naming of the decks was obvious. The studio decided
to publish the decks, but since there was no paying
client, the production costs would have to borne by us,
with no guarantee of a positive reception or success. As
such, there was no budget to speak of for the venture,
but a wise man once said " ... an idea only has value
when it is manifest.", and the studio was
enthusiastic and adamant. But, to bring the project to
fruition, certain compromises had to be made. The
cardstock was not as robust as we would have liked. And,
not plastic coated, the corners not rounded. We put the
money available into an acid-free cardstock that was
adequate, and print quality that was exceptional.
Reasoning, that the image is the message, we spared no
expense. We also felt that the decks should come with a
'keeper', a bag or box to store them, when not in use.
We tried several commercially available bags that fit
within our relatively limited budget, but they felt
cheap, and not worthy of our efforts. A local artisan,
saw our decks and agreed to provide the bags and reading
cloths at a very reasonable price per unit. The fabric
he used was high quality, tactile and sturdy. The
quality of stitches and seams excellent. The
craftsmanship, first rate, and hand-made. We did not
realize at the time that none of that would matter in
the end. The single largest comment was the 'smell' of
the bags, and second, the thickness of the cardstock.
However, the overall reception of the cards was more
than we could have hoped for, and the consensus of the
studio was that it was a successful and rewarding
project, and that we should release another version, but
correct the perceived shortcomings. I argued against
releasing another deck. I felt that we had said what we
wanted to say, and the project, tho' artistically
rewarding and exciting, had not yielded a monetary
reward commensurate with the amount of work and time
invested. Besides, business and the economy seemed to
have turned a corner, and we were getting busier with
'paying' projects. I told them there was no money coming
from BoltCutter to finance the project, and put it from
my mind. Ten years ago, when Viktor and I began
BoltCutter, we used to use freelancers fairly often.
Many, were recent graduates and sometimes even students,
as that was all we could afford. When the studio
produced a printed work for a client, the freelancer, in
addition to their fee, would receive the proofs and a
copy of the brief, to flesh-out their portfolio, because
we knew how hard it was for an artist starting out. We
continue that tradition even now, in case a member of
the team feels the need to change their circumstances.
Each member who worked on the decks received a copy of
the proofs. The studio 'conspired' against me,
mutinied is more like it. They decided to publish the
deck without me, without the resources of
BoltCutterDesign.
Viktor was in on it. (Now I am constantly looking over
my shoulder). They decided they would sell-off their
copies of the Magna Veritas to jump-start the finances
for the project. When I found out and realized the level
of commitment, I quite simply had no choice. I got on
board. Mine was the first deck to hit Ebay. The response
was incredible! The sales from the 5 proof decks was
enough to get the project rolling. However, with the
success of the sales on E bay, the Email inquiries began
to take an unexpected turn. It was not so much what was
said, but rather how it was said, and what was left
unsaid. It seems that success in any form
generates distrust and resentment. I did not mention
this to the team. There was still not enough money to do
all we wanted to do, and the future of the project was
still in question. Like any other brief, a deadline, or
launch date must be set. It is a goal that the team can
see, a tangible target to aim at. And to make that goal
real, I announced it. In the ensuing month,
every effort was made to find the resources to do all we
wanted to do. Some of the goals were realized, (like the
card stock), others, the hurdles were just too high. One
was the rounded corners. The cost of the set-up for die
cutting could not be justified for such a small run,
there simply were not enough decks to spread the cost
out sufficiently. "Goth" Deb found a corner cutter at
the local hobby shop and the team volunteered to cut the
corners, 3,200 of them, by hand. Add to that, hand
cutting the cards, 800 of them, and working on our
business commitments, it became a daunting task indeed.
Those pesky labor laws say they must have time to sleep,
whatever that is. I have never been one to worry about
what others say about my personal work. I am quite
simply, not interested. I do it for me, I am the only
client that matters at that point. Selfish? Absolutely!
That's why its called "personal" work. I don't read my
reviews, I leave that to the Gallery owner. I
reluctantly attend my own openings to answer questions
and promote the work for the Curator, because it is part
of the contract. The work should speak for itself, if it
doesn't, then I should probably be hanging drywall
instead of making art. For me, there is enough positive
energy in the journey. It is the sojourn that gives me
the 'jazz', and there is enough negative energy in the
world already that I refuse to listen to well-meaning
criticism. If they don't like it, so be it, they are
probably 'looking too fast'. But, I am older than most
of my team. They have not yet learned, that it is not
personal. Only the creation of the work is personal.
Everything else is superfluous. A couple members of my
team began reading the comments about the, as yet,
unreleased decks, that were circulating on the web. It
seems that though no one had actually had the experience
of holding it in their hand, yet, they felt the need to
review it, to have the experience, before they have
the experience. Condemnation before Investigation. In
addition, they felt it their civic duty to have that
same experience for the rest of the world, so others
didn't need to trouble themselves. Everything
surrounding the Magna Veritas became a target. I did not
read any of it, but 'my people' did. Those same people
who had given their all to the completion of the
project, had now become the objects of suspicion and
derision, with even their integrity called into
question. I was accused of being a prof. Baris Cerin
Dugald. (see other parts of this site for the
reference). And the seemingly successful release of the
previously released decks took on a rather nasty taste.
I pointed out to the team that it didn't matter what was
said, we were the clients. Only our
opinions matter. But to artists, being artists,
especially young artists, everything matters. They need
the validation that their efforts are not in vain, and
that they have value. Morale in the studio cratered.
Enthusiasm for the project became nearly non-existent.
The hands that were to cut cards and corners, in their
off hours, suddenly found the need to be occupied
elsewhere. And so, I made the hard decision to pull the deck from
general release, and begin damage control. The Magna
Veritas is unlike any other deck out there. The RWS on
which it is based is barely in evidence, as every single
card was reworked. The overall 'feel' of the deck is one
of quality, the weight of the cards and finish are
extremely tactile, even without the plastic coating. The
size of the cards is generous, making the images quite
significant when laid on a reading cloth or table top.
While the images of the previous decks were deliberately
'flattened', the Magna Veritas was given a painterly
depth and richness of color unlike any other deck
currently available. The style of the images are
reminiscent of old master paintings, complete with
cracked varnish and foxed edges, but with a patina of
human use. The cards are not populated with just 'pretty
people'. Young, old, nubile, frail, overweight, mature
denizens are all depicted. And they have personalities,
you can see it in their faces. The cards can provide
surprises, if the reader does not look too fast.
Regrettably, once
we have filled the existing orders, the deck will only
be available through Ebay on a "Buy-It-Now" basis, and
rather sporadically, as I am now (ironically) the only
one in the studio interested in publishing the
deck. No notices will be sent out. And no postings will
be put on the website. It is a 'side' venture. We are
removing ourselves from the card publishing business and
getting back to what we are proficient at, Graphic & Web
Design. Thank you for all your support in the past. If
there is anything I can do for you, or you just want to
'chat', do not hesitate to
drop me a line. That's the truth of it. As always, Best regards,
Mike M.
Creative Director
BoltCutterDesign - Industrial
Strength
Effective/Affordable Web & Graphic Design
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