The Wooden Tarot- a Major Arcana Project

The Wooden Tarot is a distinctive 23-card deck focusing on the Major Arcana, with an additional title card, created by freelance artist and illustrator Amy Swartz. Launched successfully on Kickstarter in 2013, this limited edition deck of 1000 copies reinterprets the traditional Rider-Waite-Smith Major Arcana through a lens of dream-like, faintly macabre fantasy wildlife and natural symbolism. Swartz aimed to infuse the deck with the mysticism of traditional tarot while giving it a unique, natural feel that sets it apart from other decks.

The project emphasizes themes such as the Fool's Journey, the Circle of Life, and the symbiotic relationships of all living things, which are woven into the surreal creature designs. The original artwork was meticulously created on 6x8 inch wooden panels using a mixed media approach of acrylic paints and colored pencils, giving the final cards a tactile, organic aesthetic. The deck was designed to be a collectible item, with each of the 1000 editions signed and numbered on the title card, and the creator explicitly stated that no further editions would be printed once sold out.

Beyond the 22 Major Arcana cards, the deck includes a title card with an illustration and space for the artist's signature and numbering. A stretch goal during the campaign also added the four Ace cards to all decks, expanding the total count. The cards themselves are 4x6 inches with 1/8 inch rounded corners, packaged in a clear plastic box. This deck appeals to those who appreciate unique, artist-driven interpretations of tarot with a strong connection to nature and a slightly darker, fantastical aesthetic.

This deck is ideal for collectors of unique, limited-edition tarot decks, particularly those who appreciate art with a surreal, naturalistic, or slightly dark fantasy aesthetic. It will appeal to experienced tarot readers looking for a Major Arcana-focused deck that offers a fresh, intuitive interpretation of RWS symbolism through animal and nature imagery. Individuals interested in the intersection of scientific illustration, tattoo art, and fantasy will find the artistic style compelling.

Amy Swartz is a freelance artist and illustrator known for her dream-like, faintly creepy, and macabre fantasy wildlife artwork. Self-taught, she draws inspiration from cartoons, video games, scientific illustration, and tattoo work. The idea for The Wooden Tarot emerged about a year before the campaign, consuming her with research and brainstorming, filling a Moleskine journal with interpretations and symbols. She aimed to create a deck that emphasized the Fool's Journey, the Circle of Life, and the symbiotic relationships of living things, injecting her unique cast of surreal creatures into the Rider-Waite-Smith framework.