Arist's Concept
The first card I created, the 6 of Cups, while true to the spirit of the RWS version, was my own unique vision of the card. With the 5 of Swords, I thought it would be fun to re-create the RWS version as closely as possible. This card has always been, for me at least, one of the most enigmatic cards in the RWS deck. The card represents defeat. But upon whom are we to concentrate upon, the two defeated combatants in the background, or the Cheshire-cat grinning fellow in the foreground? We have two losers but also a victor, yet the card remains a card of loss. Perhaps because the victory was a hollow one, an empty victory, as Mary Greer says, obtained using unfair means. But the card indicates something further to me, that we can only be defeated by ourselves. We may lose a battle, but defeat is our own decision, and the victor represents the defeat that we alone allow into our psyche.
Card Meaning
Defeat and the humiliation of defeat; an argument that cannot be won, or, a victory obtained by underhanded means. A no-win situation. Also, a reminder that while we may have sustained a loss, we can only be defeated by our own conscious willingness to be defeated.
Artistic Media
I took my two boys and their cousin out onto an ice shelf on the shore of Lake Ontario. Using my Nikon 5700, I staged the shot using my sons' variety of toy swords. In Photoshop I used a find edges filter and then added a neon effect. I then 'hand' painted the figures and embellished the swords, especially the ones held by my youngest son in the foreground.
Artist's Bio
Lawguy51 is a 52 year old music lawyer who lives in Toronto and is the Managing Director of The Orange Record Label. Lawguy51 also practices Entertainment Law. When he isn't at work, Lawguy can be found either studying Tarot or relaxing with a target shotgun in his hand, shooting a round of skeet or sporting clays at a nearby club (don't worry, I'm a vegetarian!). Lawguy51 is the author of the novel "The Channel", published by Lost Coast in 2000. He is married and has two children.
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