Power Arcana is a small study of illustrations inspired by the symbolic language of Tarot and the decorative traditions of Art Nouveau and Art Deco.
The works draw on the theatricality of Tarot imagery: its archetypal figures, symbols and sense of mystery, while combining it with the flowing organic forms of Art Nouveau and the stronger geometry and symmetry associated with Art Deco.
Each image is constructed around a central figure, surrounded by decorative elements that operate somewhere between ornament and symbolism. Pattern, framing, gesture and colour are used to give each figure its own identity while connecting the four works visually as a series.
I am interested in the way these different visual traditions use the human figure to suggest something beyond portraiture. The figures are not intended to represent specific people or literal Tarot cards. Instead, they function as imagined archetypes, allowing elements of mythology, femininity, power and transformation to emerge through the imagery.
The resulting works sit between illustration, decorative art and contemporary interpretations of the arcane.
