AUTHOR’S NOTE: I recently agreed to help promote the campaign for the forthcoming Tarot of Oxalia, which according to the Kickstarter site is “inspired by Greek mythology and sci-fi to evoke creative thinking, possibility, and a sense of well-being.” Symbolically, it is a Waite-Smith clone but with more vivid, impressionistic artwork.

My first thought on laying eyes upon this deck was “French Fauvism” as exemplified by Henri Matisse and Andre Derain (with Georges Braque lurking in the background). The human figures have a “pneumatic” fullness to them and the faces exhibit a dreamy “mask-like” quality that is far different from the use of masks by Ciro Marchetti in his decks. The color palette in one version is bold and bright, reminding me a little of the Liber T: Tarot of Stars Eternal, while in the other (limited) edition it is more tranquil pastel hues. The artist is graphic designer and illustrator Kelly Thorn.

As a lifetime fan of science fiction and fantasy literature, I’m reserving judgment on the underlying “sci-fi” motif until I know more about it, but as a graphic artist myself I’m on-board with the imagery. I will post a full review of this deck when I have it in hand. For the time being, if you’re interested in seeing it (and perhaps buying it) I’ve added the URL address to the “Tarot Links” sidebar on the main page.