ELIZABETH HAUTAU KARP

This series emerges from curiosity about the Tarot and its visual language. It began last summer with “The Alchemy of a Blackbird,” a book about Remedios Varo, in which each chapter opens with a tarot card, inviting the reader to contemplate its meaning for the character. As a visual learner, I was drawn to create my own interpretation of the entire deck, forming a conversation between symbolism, archetype, personal myth, and my life as an artist.

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I primarily work with the Rider–Waite–Smith deck while also referring to the Thoth deck, moving between these systems to remain open to other possibilities. My process begins with pulling a single card, meditating on its imagery, and reading interpretations to understand its symbolic field. I then gather flowers that resonate with the card’s mood and meaning. The colors and compositions arrive intuitively, guided by feeling rather than strict adherence to mythos.

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Flowers and plants function as a conduit to the subconscious in this work. Each card is connected to the painting through interpretations of organic forms, colors, and seasons.  As I explore Tarot further, I am deepening my relationship with my practice and creating a visual symbolic language rooted in the world of botany.