I'm hard at work still editing the Tarot images.  

Progress: 

Turns out that 78 unique images IS a whole lot of work.  And life sure did get in the way in 2022.  The year started out with preparing and giving an online workshop on underwater photography for Palm Springs Photo Festival.  I had done in it person before but redoing it all for zoom was so much work.  I'm glad to have had the international audience and so many people who couldn't have made it to Palm Springs for the in-person workshop.  Mid-summer I went to WPPI to be a Print Competition judge.  It's a huge honor but a whirlwind few days that is completely exhausting.  I'm very pleased to be just 1.5 points from earning my Grand Master distinction - something I've worked towards for many years.  I hope to earn it in February 2022.  It's a tremendous amount of work but has done so much to make me a better photographer.  I will be very proud of myself when I do earn it.   

I had a fantastic 7 days a week, 9 week run at the Laguna Beach Festival of Art where I got to show and sell my fine art prints.  (I'm so excited to have been asked back by the jury for 2022!)  That was an amazing experience but took all of my time for those months.  Afterwards, I barely had a week to catch up when I got news that my beloved Auntie Patty had terminal cancer. 

I flew to Massachusetts for two weeks to be at her side until she left us.  It was the calmest, most beautiful experience with death I've ever had, but I also miss her terribly.  She was one of my biggest supporters of not only my artwork but this Tarot Card project.  She absolutely loved it and gave me invaluable feedback.  When I get to feeling overwhelmed I take a moment, breathe, and think about her calm, soothing spirit.  She will help guide me through the rest of the project.  

Upon returning home from that trip it became very apparent that I've missed entirely too much time with my parents during the pandemic and I miss them terribly.  I've committed to seeing them once a week and am enjoying their company.  They don't live close by so that means two days away from home. So essentially I'm down to a 3 day work week which worries me.  I'm used to working full time.  A week ago I invested in a decent office chair for the first time in my life.  I spend more time in my current wretched awful chair than I do in my car or even my bed and it's long past time that I'm not so very uncomfortable when I'm working.  It should be here in a week and I'm really looking forward to being comfortable while working since I have a lot of hours left working on these cards.  I love the work and find that I totally lose myself in it.  Listening to music and letting my mind drift, hours go by unnoticed until I stand up and feel paralyzed.  I have faith that I will be done with the project by the end of 2021 and I can promise you that it will be well worth the wait.  I'm pretty hard on myself when it comes to critiquing my work but this set of images is absolutely what I envisioned.  I truly love them.

Thank you for your patience.

~ Cheryl