Everybody Needs A Bit of Whimsy
It took a pandemic to made this shop possible. I am a painter, and in early spring 2020, when the news and the outlook were terrifying and depressing, I decided to use my time at home to pursue a project that would bring me therapeutic smiles--and if it succeeded, I promised myself I would find a way to take this mood-lightening project into the world to bring smiles to others. Whose burden isn't heavy? Who couldn't use a bit of light relief?
Having always liked the graphic presentation of playing cards, I chose to apply it to canvas. The royalty cards, I decided, would be animals. But not just any animals: they would carry their royal rank proudly, dressed to reflect not only status, but personality. Initially I wasn't sure this idea would work. I started with the zebra, a Jack of Spades who became a Spartan warrior; then came a proud Queen of Hearts Welsh sheep, then a prosperous King of Diamonds Yorkshire Pig. Each painting was done in acrylic on a 2' by 3' (61cm x 92cm) canvas, and each one took a lot of time. I realized this was a huge project--12 face card paintings, two jokers, plus an original card back design. But it was engaging, helped change my mental channel, and fun enough to keep me going.
I finished the project before the pandemic finished with us. Then I had the images of my paintings made into card decks, posters, and greeting cards, and opened my shop!
How's that for an origin story?
Since then, of course, I expanded the scope with a second series of paintings made into a second card deck: Reptiles Playing Sports! (I offer this as definitive proof of the existence of the Multiverse.). There's no telling what's coming next.
