Artist Statement

My series, Skeptics of the Superstitious, is about divination and its two main branches: astrology and tarot. The book series follow a group of family members as they learn about astrology, tarot, and themselves. The covers each depict a different facet of astrology/tarot. Center of Expression is about the Sun, Complexity of Intuition: the Moon, Fortune of Insight: tarot, Path of the Heavens: the Zodiac, and Rulers of Our Psyche: the planets. Each cover contains symbolism of the topic they are depicting. For example, Center of Expression features a mirror because the Sun is all about who we truly are. Each cover started out as a painting using acrylic on canvas. Since these books cover topics that help us to learn about ourselves, the illustrations take a physical approach to make them more personal. Acrylic painting gives the imagery a more human quality than something electronically developed. The paintings were photographed and edited with text  laid over the top. The paintings are inspired by the Surrealists, specifically Dorothea Tanning and Remedios Varo. The overall design is inspired by the work of Louise Fili, whose typeface Montecatini was chosen to brand Skeptics of the Superstitious. The main purpose of this series is to educate. Many people brush off the art of astrology and tarot as some hippie-dippie junk. I want people to realize there is a lot of research and science behind these forms of divination, and they can help us learn about ourselves and each other.