PAGE OF CUPS

Our art learning group successfully rallied enough members to embark on a big project: creating an entire deck of Tarot cards. I selected the Page of Cups as my theme, envisioning a scene set upon a vast chessboard, sparsely dotted with chess pieces. At the center of the illustration, a young apprentice—having presumably lost the game—turns to a servant holding a brass cup, expressing her earnest inquiry about the game. The cup, glowing with a golden light, symbolizes knowledge and wisdom, firmly in the grasp of the elder figure. To make the girl’s pose complete in a slight sense of perspective, I had to extend the paper pad. While I was pleased with the portrait of the girl, the overall interpretation of the tile remained nebulous. As a result, the composition became overcrowded with disparate elements, diminishing its narrative clarity.