I’ve been amazed at how well received the Maverick Tarot project has been. I’ve actually heard from any number of people who want to be a part of it, some as far away as Iowa.
Tiffini wrote me on myspace saying she’d seen a link to my Model Mayhem profile and wanted to be a part of the project. She’d never modeled before, but when has that ever stopped me. And besides, she was excited to give modeling a try. She told me she’d be visiting friends in Pittsburgh soon, and so I figured I’d have to fit her in while she was here. It’s tricky trying to place a model having not met her in person, and when she doesn’t have really good professional shots to give me a feel for her look, but I was able to gauge from other shots that I might want to try her for my five of swords. Defeat. My five cards are all injured or dead people. And it took some playing around but I think I got the look I wanted with this one. And she didn’t even mind me getting "blood" all over her nice white skirt!
Nice, I really like this. I like the balance of black and white and the blood. The knife is frightening, but I think that’s the point.
To be honest, I don’t like this at all – not because it isn’t a great photograph, it is, but because I as a nurse have seen many young girls and also boys who cut themselves both for stress release, for attention and also because there is a strain of the culture of death romanticism that find it cool. I have seen cut tendons, bad infections, and scars that will be with them for the rest of their lives – there is nothing romantic about it. To me a picture like this add to the romantic view of this really unhealthy phenomena. Sorry for being a killjoy.
I really like the image, and the word defeat that goes with it.
@Kungfukitten: Yes, frigthtening is of course the point. Originally, I was actually planning to use a smaller knife, but it wasn’t giving the same visual impact.
@Baroness Nordmark: that’s certainly a fair opinion. That said, I figure I’ll just point out, that that was sort of the point of the card. To evoke the very story that you are referencing. I have long been of the opinion that art should reflect both the positive and the negative of society. I personally have a big problem with rape (not that anyone doesn’t, but I know way too many women who have been, and makes me uncomfortable to think about). However I always disagree with people who are against its depiction in film or on TV. Ignoring a problem doesn’t make it go away. I certainly wasn’t trying to push the idea that cutting your wrists is a good thing. I chose it for the "Defeat" card. One of the things I like about it is that I feel it tells a powerful story, albeit a negative one. A reaction like that from you makes me feel as though it worked. Anyway, I meant no offense, and I thank you for taking the time to write. (that said, my previous pic, for 365 days, with the gunshot wound… that is intended to poke fun)
@adayinthelife: thank you
Intense. Nice work.
wow, very nice work here – very fitting.
@d.rex: Thank you. Glad you like it.
@lacychenault: And thank you as well. I felt the subject matter was appropriate for the meaning.
I agree that art should interpret both good and bad in society – I guess what I react against is that it is (as I see this picture) made to look pretty… But maybe it’s just that it triggers things in me as it reflects the hopelessness (my sense of defeat actually, I guess it fits…) I sometimes feel when I meet this IRL.
And I did not take offense at all, not the least bit. I just told you what I felt as I know you appriciate that.
@Baroness Nordmark: Yep, that’s completely understandable. And its a fair assessment. I’m a glamour photographer. If I take a picture of a woman behaded with an evil robot and a swamp monster fighting over her corpse, I’m still going to do my best to make her look pretty, even though it’d be disgusting. And thanks again.
Now THAT would be one interesting picture… reminds me of a garden ornament I once saw… (seriously… 🙂 )
…but I don’t think it’s completely true that you try to make all women look pretty, all the women in your pictures look BEAUTIFUL I agree to that. The woman in the Temperance card for instance, does not look pretty in the meaning I put into the word, she is something more than pretty, she’s beautiful, mature, a grown up woman who have been through hard times. Pretty is like the girl in this card seem – very young, flawless, romantic and even wearing that fluffy white innocent skirt… But I won’t argue with you anymore – you seem to be aware of the problem and want to use the tension that the clash between "pretty and innocent" and the "cutting" creates – my reaction just is proof that it works, as you have allready pointed out… Your awareness makes it OK as I see it.
I think this is incredible….the tension between the gore/beauty; the overall lushness of the image…it is very powerful.
@sadandbeautiful (Sarah): Thank you. That would be more of the reaction I was going for. Glad you like it.
Love the perspective on this one.
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Seen in your The Maverick Tarot set. (?)
@Sick Little Monkey: thanks. I wanted to vary the angle on several cards. I don’t want to overuse perspective to the point that it becomes a gimmick (I have enough of those in this project already) but I did want to spice things up when appropriate. In particular on this one, I really loved how her skirt was flowing along the ground. I thought an angle like this gave a rare occcasion ot make a "white card" while not losing my style from the others.
fantastic composition and choice of the top down angle, really puts the viewer in the scene
@Tommy Train: thanks. This was one of those shots that grew organically. I had some ideas, and we just kept working them until they turned out right.
This one could be moderate for gore, I suppose. Though I’m sure I’ve seen much worse on TV. And not even late night.
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Seen in your FC-overreact set. (?)
@Sick Little Monkey: that’s why I marked it. But again, if I can’ use fake blood in a pic to make a visual statement about a very real issue in our society, then what’s the point of being an artist really?