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I thought it might be interesting to hear a bit about Maria, and her art. She very graciously agreed to an interview, which I am sharing here with you. BC: Maria, what is your background as an artist? MK: I was a traditional media artist (oils, acrylics, watercolor, etc.) for over 30 years prior to becoming a digital painter. I have painted and had shows in Europe, Asia and most of the USA. One of my paintings hangs in a palace and many are in private collections around the world. I went into digital art a decade or so ago and have been experimenting with abstract animation and investigating the spiritual with my art. I believe, for me, that art is the way for me to understand my own sense of spiritual development and to share that sense of wonder and magic with others. BC: What is your background in Tarot? MK: In the mid 70s I had the good fortune to meet a wonderful teacher and friend, The Rev. Joanne Hill who started me down the road to the Tarot experience. We used a Swiss deck and later on a Crowley/Harris deck. She was also fond of just writing the name of the card on a blank 3x5 and making us read from that. She believed very strongly in learning the cards attributes and we were expected to be able to read from any deck. Not that there were many choices back then. She died and I drifted away to Europe and then to Asia, studying different systems of religion and shamanism. I came back to the USA and began to study the Tarot again in relation to the other systems I had found. I am still doing so. BC: What was your inspiration for creating your deck? MK: I wanted a deck based on abstract images that could aid in meditation for a deeper understanding of a situation. I sometimes felt that the pictures on the pips just got in the way of my own development. And I did believe that creating my own deck would lead me to a deeper understanding of the way the cards worked. I had played with the concept for a time before I arrived at the idea of using another love of mine, Fractals, to illustrate the concepts in the deck. As fractals are visuals of how things work in the universe, they seemed the perfect choice. And when fractal programs became available that allowed me to actually have the control over the colors and layering until the illustration I wanted could be achieved, I knew I had what I needed to create the deck I envisioned. BC: What mediums do you prefer to work with in the creation of your decks? MK: I really prefer to work in the digital format. This allows me the freedom to experiment with all of the possibilities I can think of. BC: What are the major themes that you work with? MK: To find the hidden, magic part of ourselves that allows us to come to the acceptance and joy at our place in the universe. To celebrate that we are more than we imagine and to find ways to open our inner eyes to that vision. BC: Was your muse more connected with "who" the audience might be for your deck, or were you following a concept through to it's fruition? MK: I was following a concept of mine based on the wish for an abstract deck that could aid in meditation and self discovery. BC: What would you like to say about the decks that you have created, and their connection with their intended audience? MK: That I hope that the images aid them in their journey of self exploration and spiritual awareness. BC: Maria, would you mind taking a card from the Tarot and showing us how fractals work with the Tarot? (note: I asked Maria's permission to use her response to a discussion of the Hermit in an online e-group as it really brought home the Fractal Firebird to me.) MK: The Hermit:
A greenish background broken by soft lines of a darker blue. Spheres, and spheres within spheres that coalesce upward moving into each other. On the bottom of the card, in the center a globe containing a white light that illuminates the spherical shapes around it and the more shadowy egg shape that is at the top. A shape of potential and possibilities. The shapes at the base are well lit as are those things we clearly know and understand. Those things which we stand on as we search for inner answers. These shapes support the oval that seems quite self contained and complete with smaller spheres and stacked forms huddled within the protective egg. The light of inner knowledge that supports the oval is echoed several times as it works towards the top of the card. The edges of the oval are dark and seem to softly contain the energies within the shape. Near the top the violet light of self discovery produces small globes of enlightened discovery and new knowledge. This is a card of withdrawing into one's self as we seek to find inner wisdom and understanding. Sometimes, we must withdraw in to our secret places of self to heal and to learn those things which will enable us to continue our life's journey.The green which surrounds the egg shaped form is the green of healing, not the bright newness of spring or the pale joyful blue/green of the sea mists. It is the color of old forests and moss and musty book jackets that cover magical tomes. It is a card of seeking and guidance as well as one of the knowledge within ourselves. BC: Maria, your work is wonderful! Thank you for taking the time to do this interview. Maria's work can be found at ComportFolio Gallery. Please visit - your time here will be well spent. Hint - aside from the Fractal Firebird Tarot, Maria has done a wonderful study using fractals for Kabbalistic meditation, which she is also showcasing on her site.
note: Images from the Fractal Firebird Tarot and Kabballistic Cards used with permission of the artist, Maria Kruse.
Bonnie Cehovet
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