Here’s one of the most highly anticipated cards of the Tarot of Bones: The Fool! A coyote is ready for her first journey away from home, carrying her favorite antler toy–and all the lessons she’s practiced with it! It’s spring, there are flowers, things look promising–but she’ll have to be cautious in the days ahead.

Also, the Tarot of Bones IndieGoGo ends TOMORROW, May 19! As of this posting there are just 33 hours left to back it, and it’s currently 188% funded at $9,395. Let’s see if we can hit $10,000 for 200% funding, and more money to help make the Tarot of Bones a reality!

I’ve been busy with a lot of volunteer work this weekend, but I managed to complete the Queen of Cups last night. I’ve chosen the carpet python to symbolize this card. Snakes have almost specialized their ribs as much as the red slider turtle who represents the King of Cups, and in the same way the Queen of Cups has deep control of her emotions as well. Additionally, a snake’s ability to sense vibrations mirrors this card’s tendency toward sensitivity, especially toward things that may be under the surface. But what about the python’s deadly hug? That surely doesn’t reflect the Queen’s notable compassion! Well, not exactly. But Carpet Python invites us to feel compassion toward all beings, including those that may make us feel uncomfortable, like snakes!

Also, you have only THREE DAYS left to back the Tarot of Bones IndieGoGo campaign! It ends this Tuesday, May 19, and it’s currently at $9,225 (185% funded!) Every dollar will go toward making the Tarot of Bones deck and book a reality; materials for the remaining assemblages are covered, but there are other costs like printing and perk fulfillment, so the more I raise now the less I have to come up with later. If you’ve already backed it, many thanks to you! Please pass the campaign link on to others who may be interested so they don’t miss out.

Well, okay, technically it’s me wishing you a happy Friday. The Seven of Cups just wishes you’d make up your mind already.

This, for me, is the card of artist’s block. I don’t get the “I don’t know what to create” sort of block. I get the “I want to make ALL THE THINGS but I just can’t settle on one to start with” sort of block. It’s great to have ideas of things I want to bring into reality with art materials and writing and so forth, but unless I actually sit down and make the work happen then it’s all for naught. That’s why I chose seven different types of rib bone, and places them in a bit of disarray. It looks like my mind when I’m trying to sort out which project to get going on, because they ALL look so appealing! Eventually, though, I have to reach out and pick one, and remember that the rest will still be there.

This is the 34th assemblage I’ve completed, which means I’m over two weeks ahead of schedule at this point! I already have the 35th on the workbench, and I hope to have it completed over the weekend.

In the meantime, the Tarot of Bones IndieGoGo is now at $9,115–woohoo! Only four days left, since it ends this Tuesday, May 19. Also, we are officially out of the Slightly Later Bird Combo, but I just introduced the Bird Slept In Combo, where you can get the Tarot of Bones deck and book for $40, which is still less than what it’ll cost when it’s released in Summer 2016! And there are still a few Early Bird Ebook Combos left, too, at $20 each. So head on over to the IndieGoGo campaign and back it today!

I’ve wasted no time in getting back to work now that I’m home! Here’s the Nine of Pentacles, the 33rd assemblage completed! It’s a wonderful card, signifying that your hard work is coming to fruition and you can enjoy the results of all that effort. I certainly hope this card will be prominent in my life next year when the Tarot of Bones is released; it’s been a labor both of love and creativity, and I allowed myself to appreciate my progress so far. Speaking of that, I’m just six cards away from being halfway done with the assemblages, and it’s still six weeks away from the midway point of the year! I’m aiming to have those six pieces done by the end of May, which would put me a full month ahead of schedule. I really am enjoying this project, and I can’t wait to hold the final deck and book in my hands.

Speaking of that, I already posted this morning about the Tarot of Bones IndieGoGo campaign being over $9,000–but here’s another quick reminder. Just five days left!

More Swords today–this time the Seven, a card of betrayal and lies and sneakiness all around. The curled muskrat teeth make the “slipping away” imagery easier to portray (I’ve mentioned before it’s tough to anthropomorphize bones sometimes!) Plus there’s that gnawing action–chewing away at trust and honesty, nibbling around the edges of what one thought was true. Not all swords are stick-straight, after all.

Also, we are just TEN DAYS away from completing the Tarot of Bones IndieGoGo campaign! And at $8,365, there’s just $635 to go before we meet the next stretch goal of $9,000, where I’ll do an exclusive online class on how to use the Tarot of Bones once backers have the deck and book in hand. Here’s the link–go check out the awesome perks that are available!

Progress continues apace on the Tarot of Bones assemblage pieces! I just finished my 30th piece, the Two of Swords. It’s a card of difficult decisions, where there are no easy answers and any choice you make could cost you. Not a fun card, but definitely a reality many of us have had to face over the years.

Honestly, that’s one of the reasons I rather prefer the Minor Arcana over the Major. The Majors are such great, archetypal forces that they sometimes feel a little out of reach. The Minor Arcana, on the other hand, are the shared, common experiences of humanity, no matter who we are. We all have those tough decisions, and we also all have moments of joy and triumph. The Major Arcana is the pageantry; the Minor is the everyday life.

Finally, just a reminder that the Tarot of Bones IndieGoGo campaign ends on May 19! It’s a great opportunity to get the deck and book and a much-reduced price from what the final cover cost will be–and it’s also a wonderful way to help make sure I can get the set out on time. So if you haven’t had a chance to back this campaign yet, or you know someone who may be interested, let today be the day!

Despite not being a particularly joyful card, full of challenges and self-detriment and the like, the Eight of Swords was fun to sculpt. It’s hard to tell from the picture (I need to get a better one for the deck), but the gray stone walls on either side of the piece are 3-D sculpted epoxy putty, with coyote teeth sunk into them like gnashing fangs ready to bite down on the journeyer going through the narrow pass. The piece is about 2″ deep, so I need to adjust my settings to capture the depth. I’m not an especially good photographer; the camera’s been doing most of the work for me. But this is a good piece for me to practice on so the final shot will be a better one.

So I just realized that I am over 1/3 of the way done with the assemblage pieces! The Eight of Swords is my 28th assemblage piece completed, which puts me a bit ahead of schedule. (26 is the 1/3-of-the-way point, and the end of April is 1/3 of the way done with the year.) So hooray for that! I’m already plotting the next assemblage piece, in between taking time out for other artwork.

We also hit a little sadder milestone–yesterday was the first day that I didn’t have a single new backer on the Tarot of Bones IndieGoGo campaign! Okay, so I’m not really all that upset because for pity’s sake, it’s 157% funded today and there are 22 days left! Still, backers dropped off a lot once we hit the initial $5,000 asking level, and it’s been mostly a trickle of 1-2 new people per day. The fact that we got halfway through the campaign before getting a no-backer day is really impressive, and again I’m really appreciative to all of those who have chipped in!

That being said, if you have not yet backed the campaign, or you know people who may be interested, now’s a great time to back it and get the word out! We’re just $170 away from $8,000–and once we hit $9,000 we’ll achieve our next stretch goal. And I’m still quite a ways away from being able to break even on the production costs for this deck (though materials are covered and I have a nice chunk of money to put toward the aforementioned expenses). So the more we raise on this campaign, the easier it’ll be for me to make sure the Tarot of Bones gets into everyone’s hands in Summer 2016! Here’s that campaign link again, and thank you 🙂

The Nine of Swords is a card with which I have all too much experience. It represents worry and anxiety, and the sleepless nights that they can create. As someone living with Generalized Anxiety Disorder, while I do a lot of self-care and other management, I have still had too many times when I’ve awakened in the wee hours in the morning and couldn’t get back to sleep because my mind latched on to some worry or another. Instead of peaceful stars in the sky over the landscape, this card shows chewing, gnashing teeth, ready to gnaw away at my sleep.

I admit it was cathartic to create this piece, though. It gives more of a face to that experience, and even attributes something beautiful to it. Sometimes I’m able to talk myself through the worry before it gets too bad; other times I come up with solutions, and the resulting peace of mind lets me go back to sleep. So it’s not uniformly bad; I just need to be able to manage my relationship to it.

Just a reminder–the Tarot of Bones IndieGoGo is still going for another 24 days! We’re less than $1,500 away from the next stretch goal–at $9,000 I’ll be planning a Livestream workshop on how to use the Tarot of Bones after the deck and book are out, exclusively for IndieGoGo backers. And although I am exceptionally grateful the campaign is now 150% funded, every dollar counts toward helping me get closer to breaking even on the many costs of this monumental project. So if you haven’t had a chance to back this campaign yet, today’s a great day to change that! And please share the link with other people who may be interested–word of mouth is VERY important. Thank you!