I begin with description: saying only what I see without any statements of judgement or feelings of preference.
My painting is a realistic underwater view of stones, sea plants and creatures, and a piece of rusted metal. I look through bands of light patterns and distortions to see these objects.
This oracle card is a spiral design of reds, purples, and yellow on a white ground. A portion of the left side outer rim is patterned with black X shapes There is a figure that is also a face on the right side of the oracle card.
I next use a more formal analysis next to see deeply into the composition of the artwork, and to understand my experience of the oracle card.
Acrylic used as watercolor is painted over the surface of the paper. The rhythm of the darks and lights create a sensation of movement. Forms are indicated using patterns of alignment between shapes and colors. There is an experience of "overallness" to the work, as if all the parts are joined into a larger whole.
As I gaze at the oracle card, I experience the black X marks as figures joyfully dancing. There is a lightness to the image because of the soft brushwork and scattering of dots of ink. This feels like an easy path to be on.
Next I use interpretation to try and understand what I the artist is saying. In the oracle card this interpretation becomes insight about the change that is coming to the situation which prompted me to read the oracle cards.
This painting is titled "Tinfoil." The image of the rusted metal is the only place where red is used, which causes the painted form to jump into my awareness. The tin doesn't fit with the rest of the undersea life. Because of the title of the artwork, and what I know of how metal eventually rusts away in seawater, I understand the artist is saying "man made objects won't last in the forces of nature."
In the oracle card, it is the right hand side of the image that calls my attention for interpretation. As I look at the detail I see a white face in profile, and then suddenly, another face appears slightly behind the first. This one looks African The name of this oracle card is "Path." I interpret this to mean there are many paths to take toward joy.
Last, I allow my judgement to enter into the reading of the artwork and the oracle card.
The patterns of light and distortion both include and absorb the small piece of metal, just as the ocean will absorb this human cast off. So yes, the physical rendering of the artwork and my artist's message enhance each other.
The oracle card offers a resolution to my query, which allows me to judge my situation differently than when I first started the oracle card reading. The faces become a dancer. Hair and hands raised in joy. Perhaps she is holding a heart, the only touch of red.
