Cups

I use a number of cups in the cards. I used the wooden cup because I liked the contrast of the cup's warm browns with the cool blues of the water.

The cup's image is a reflection. The water is light, shallow, with a touch of ripple.

I wanted to abstract the idea of two forces drawn together. Karen reaches out to something. 

Also, note that there is another balloon trapped under a rail in the lower right of the picture.

No special event, just three friends dressed up to go dancing.

Women footloose and fancy free, free for anything fancy. 

Ok, so this one is fairly Rider Waite derivative. Whatever. 

This is just such a medieval Book of Hours photo. A woman reading poetry, absorbed in the words. She doesn't even notice the grailish cup in front of her.

Intellectualism vs. Spirituality or just a really good book?

This is one of my favorite cemetery pictures. The contrasts in the picture are just so sharp. It came out beautifully.

A figure in the literal shadow of grief while the sun illuminates everything else around her.

Cups line the avenue of graves, but she can't see them. Her head is bowed.

And here in my very own backyard, perfect beauty. A beautiful fall day in the city by the bay.

The misty blues in this picture are so cool and refreshing. It's like a glass of lemonade or a swim in a deep blueness.

I used metal cups because they matched the cool colors of the picture.

Given that the 7 of CUPS is the chaos card, well what could be more natural than a picture of Gina, who can't drink, apparently much the worse for wear. 

This is one of my favorite cards because there are so very many personal emotional resonance's.

The Roman Bath house - I worked abroad in England a number of years ago and I have very fond memories of that time. It was one of those formative experiences that helped make me into the person that I am today. 

Looming over the baths are skyscrapers from San Francisco where I work currently. I love coming into the city. Walking around at lunch. Being in a place with that much energy. 

The past and the future, nostalgia and electricity all in one card.

I had already put this card together for a different reason, and then fell in love with the idea of cups on cloud nine.

Catwoman is so satisfied with life and her place in it. This is mine, and this is mine, and this is mine.

Except the black cat at her leg. That's just a close friend.

This is a hotel in France. My God...the food, the wine, the surroundings.

Life doesn't get much more ideal.

I used Greek two handed cups to further evoke a classical ideal of beauty.

Actually, I just had a paucity of men in costume pictures. However, this card does work for Kevin. Hard to make a perfect fit. uty and service, routine and schedules 

I liked Kevin's stance in the picture. Its very, "I'm Sir Francis Drake and I claim this for the British Monarchy." 

I also wanted to associate the king with the sea. As a symbol of water, the sea is vast, relentless, powerful. 

The Queen is an epicurean artist. Empathetic. She submerges her self in actions and art forms, while being socially reticent and silent. Well, I don't know about that. But I made this deck. That makes me an artist.

Anyway, the dress is cool and soft and full. She leans into the sun's warmth. The day is lazy and pleasant. The Queen dreams

The Bedu, defenders of the faith and questors for water and beauty.

I liked the contrast of the image. Black robes. Blue sky. The warmth of the wooden cup. A hidden face. Eyes politely down cast, but on the lookout for the next quest. 

I used the wooden cup because the knight is a grail seeker. 

The Page is supposed to be a child. A young thing setting out. Wednesday sets out to cross the bay to a new and exciting place, San Francisco.

As an aside, I take the ferry to work every day.

I used the metal cup because it matched the color scheme of the picture.