Lowbrow Tarot
Author: Russell J. Moon
Curated by: Aunia Kahn
Artists: various artists
Schiffer Publishing
2012
ISBN #978-0-7643-4235-6
“Dedicated to the love of
Divination and self exploration.
May you find a close connection
with your soul”
from the companion book
The “Lowbrow Tarot” is a Majors only deck, part of the Lowbrow Tarot Project. The revelations that people get from the Tarot was the inspiration for this project. Because of the amount of time an artist would need to dedicate to creating their own deck, Kahn and Moon felt that doing a majors only deck, with one artist per card, was a more doable concept. The only constraints were that the work needed to be original, and it needed to be focused on a specific card. The number of artists responding to this call was astounding – 1,000! From this, we see the 22 that were selected. IMHO, the selection process was a project all on its own! The original artwork was shown in the La Luz De Jesus Gallery – multiple mediums, with different formats and styles, embracing each artist’s original view of what Tarot means to them.
Note: It was interesting to me to read that the lowbrow art movement debuted at the La Luz De Jesus Gallery on October 1st, 2010. This specific project (the “Lowbrow Tarot”) includes a Tarot deck and a hardcover tabletop book.
The cards and companion book come in a magnetic lift top box made of sturdy cardboard. The color scheme is black and gold, which I love! The image on the top of the box is that of the Wheel of Fortune. The cards are 3 ½” by 5 ½”, of sturdy, glossy cardstock. The card backs (by artist Daniel Martin Diaz) are done in shades of gold and brownish-red. Across the top of the card we see the words Terra and Aqua, with a small gold crown between them. Across the bottom of the card we see the words Ignus and Aura, with a gold crown between them. In the center of the card we see an Egyptian styled eye, surrounded by rays from the sun. Because of the lettering, the card backs are not reversible.
The card faces show a ¼” black border on each side, with a ½” black border
across the top and bottom, The card number, in Roman numerals, is centered at the top of the card. The card title is centered across the bottom of the card. The card titles are traditional, but the imagery is not in many cases. The cards that show the most traditional imagery are the Fool (although the dog is on a leash), the Empress (what an incredibly beautiful dress!), the Lovers (nice addition with the butterfly!), the Chariot, the Hermit, the Hanged Man, Temperance, the Devil, the Tower, and the World. The cards that pushed the envelope the most for me were the Magician, the Hierophant, Strength, and the Wheel of Fortune.
The 55 page companion book talks about the history of this project, where the cards were exhibited, and where the inspiration came from. The cards are presented with a full page, full color image, upright and reversed meanings, and a link to the artist’s Internet site. All text in italics is from the artist – their personal take on the card. All other text is from Russell J. Moon. There are no spreads presented, or suggested usage for the cards.
Artists by card:
The Fool: Carrie Ann Baade
The Magician: Christopher Ulrich
The High Priestess: Edith Lebeau
The Empress: Cate Rangel
The Emperor: Kris Kuksi
The Hierophant: Chris Mars
The Lovers: Christopher Umana
The Chariot: C.C. Askew
Strength: Brian M. Viveros
The Hermit: Claudia Drake
The Wheel of Fortune: Heather Watts
Justice: Molly Crabapple
The Hanged Man: David Stoupakis
Death: Laurie Lipton
Temperance: Patrick “Star 27” Deignan
The Devil: Chet Zar
The Tower: Jessica Joslin
The Star: Danni Shinya Luo
The Moon: Jennybird Alcantara
The Sun: Angie Mason
Judgment: Scott G. Brooks
The World: Aunia Kah
Tarot Deck Card Back: Daniel Martin Diaz
This is more of an art deck than a reading deck, although specific cards could well be used for meditation or ritual work.
© November 2012 Bonnie Cehovet
Perspectives On Tarot 