And now… a new Chariot descends from on high, with striped cat, leopards and a starry sky.
Our lavish new Chariot card has an operatic drama – and leopards! The new Chariot card for The Bohemian Cats Theatre Tarot came about because of inspiration from a film. When we saw the Aria of Dario scene from “Farinelli” (the link is below), we…
In urgent need of love and assistance – the Five of Pentacles and cat rescue.
Our Five of Pentacles is a reminder of cats in need, and why cat rescue makes a huge difference. The Five of Pentacles is one of those cards that many people dread coming up in a reading. It speaks of deprivation, hardship, poverty and need.…
The Two of Wands: happy dreams of a wider world
The traditional Rider Waite Smith Tarot (RWS) Two and Three of Wands are somewhat odd cards. In our new cat tarot, we have given the imagery a romantic, and dreamy atmosphere. This is a cat who longs for something larger in her life.
A surprising Seven of Swords: furtive feline felony unmasked!
The crafty bulldog in the Seven of Swords hopes his disguise will go unnoticed. The curtain rises on the Seven of Swords scene in our Bohemian Cats’ Theatre Tarot and, my goodness, surely this is not actually a cat? In fact, our image features a deceitful…
A feline journey: From little gods to “evil” cats
Cats initially were regarded as little household gods and goddesses, something to be revered and respected. Ancient Egypt had feline gods, while in Ancient Rome, cats were sacred to Diana and highly regarded for keeping pests at bay. But by the Middle Ages the idea…
A picture of Justice provokes new thoughts
A collaged “klosterarbeit” picture of Justice leads a serious character to contemplative thoughts. We based our Justice picture (scroll down to see the final card) on a wonderful handmade vintage piece of “klosterarbeit” (churchwork or monastery or convent work) that we sourced from Vienna. It…
Our new Strength card – drama, conflict and confidence
The design of our Strength card was quite a challenge. Appropriately enough, fortitude and patience were needed. Embarking on the design for the Strength card for The Bohemian Cats’ Theatre Tarot was no small challenge. The quest for the perfect solution led us through trials…
The snarling Knight of Swords makes a scary attack!
The Knight of Swords is the most aggressive of the Tarot Courts. All the Knights of Tarot are, in their own way, dramatic figures. But only the Knight of Swords also has the power to scare. Traditionally, this card is about someone who is clever…
A sparkling Queen of Wands goes to the ball
The Queen of Wands is arguably the most seductive and immediately attractive of the Tarot Queens. She represents a mature female who is energetic, warm, quick to throw herself into new activities – and sometimes new relationships – and who radiates an irresistible charm. She…
The Fool – how to depict a free and feckless feline?
The Fool is one of those cards that everyone has an opinion about. In the Rider Waite Smith (RWS) Tarot, he is shown as someone smiling blithely as he steps off a cliff. He (or indeed, she) is reckless, in some ways thoughtless, and yet…
A happy harmony – a Temperance card to love.
The Temperance card, appropriately enough, isn’t one that tends to be particularly spectacular or attention-grabbing. It seems to us that few people would describe it as one of their favourite Major cards (The Star, The Fool and The Devil would all generally have more fans),…
Slow but sure on his hobbyhorse. The cautious Knight.
Some people find the Knight of Pentacles (or Knight of Coins as he was known prior to the Rider Waite Smith “RWS” system of Tarot) slightly boring. Compared to the dynamic Knights of the other three tarot suits, he can certainly seem less exciting. However, we…
How to make inspiring Hermit card? Shine a light in the forest.
For The Hermit card in the new Bohemian Cats’ Theatre Tarot, we wanted quite a spectacular look. Sometimes this card can be, in visual terms, a bit predictable so we wanted to add richness and also enhance the meaning for our rather distinctive cat tarot.…
Aiming for an amazing Two of Pentacles – a hopeful harlequin juggler.
The Two of Pentacles is is a tarot card that we always enjoy designing because there are so many possibilities for conveying the broad idea of juggling a lot of things at once! We knew almost immediately that we wanted to show a cat in…
How to made a Baroque theatre – for cats! Part 2
It's not every day that a carpenter is asked to create a mini Baroque theatre for cats! It was a challenge that Dirk took on with enthusiasm - here he explains how he worked with Karen and Alex to make the perfect setting for The…
Because the first step is working out how to make a Baroque theatre…
This video explains how Karen and Alex made the decision to use a theatre setting for the new Bohemian Cats project, drawing inspiration from previous images they had created (as well as from a vivid dream Alex had!). When it came to making this vision…
A scary feline – it’s the Cat Devil puppeteer.
We wanted this Cat Devil card for The Bohemian Cats’ Theatre Tarot to be full of symbolism and with a depth of meaning. After much thought, we turned to a very old table-top theatre that we bought from Austria, and two Czech puppets from Antonín Münzberg, a good,…
The Bohemian Cats’ Theatre project – new beginnings
The original Baroque Bohemian Cats’ Tarot and the Bohemian Cats picture book date all the way back to 2003/4 and has been through several versions since. We’ve always loved living with cats and it came naturally to us to build to make an entire fantasy…
