Some things are just serendipitous,. and in this case you might say that Strength was Fate. The perfect image for this card just fell into my lap, and from there it was the matter of a few hours to gather all the other elements and adorn My Lady Strength with everything that she needed to stay true to classical tarot iconography. This lady was an actual circus performer and the big guy at her side was just one of her real-life charges. Carrie Paris, who has been extremely gracious to look at these designs, suggested that I add a hint of the woman's garland to the lion's paws, and I may just do that.
I went with "La Force" over "Strength" as the title on the card, because it seems both more feminine and more vital. In fact I'm going to play playing fast and loose with many of the names in the Majors and the suits in the Minors -- always seeking to build on the circus theme while evoking the classical meanings of the cards.
Thoughts and comments are always welcome: duckmeister@ducksoup.me .
-- Freder.
www.ducksoup.me
