I found a little bit of time last weekend for artwork and created this very little painted card.  The card itself measures 2.375″ high by 1.625″ wide. The frame, shown below, measures 3.5″ wide by 4.5″ high and is 1.25″ deep. The card is made from 4 ply Strathmore 500 bristol board and it is painted with acrylic inks, watercolor pencils and metallic acrylics.  I floated the card against a background of antique marbled paper.

I love the idea of this symbol – a tree with stars for leaves – and it serves as a visual reminder in my mind, bringing up a feeling of potential for the transformation it represents.  The six-pointed star is traditionally a symbol for mercury – combining upward and downward pointing triangles that represent mercury’s role of uniting the sun and moon in the alchemical process.  The tree is also a symbol used to represent a similar kind of unity – between heaven and earth – with the branches in the sky and the roots planted deep in the ground.

This original small framed painting is available for sale in my Etsy store HERE.

I have started making a small deck of cards – one for each of the (more or less – depending on the source) twelve stages of the alchemical process.  I started at the finish for some reason – with the last stage: Projectio.  Projection is the moment when the base metal, after the long and careful process of the first eleven steps of the work are completed,  is finally turned to gold. One of the symbols of the Projectio is the phoenix, the fiery sun-like bird, rising from the flames.

I made this small card (height = 2.75 inches) and this small deck to fit into a small copper and brass box I found at my favorite local antique store.  The image is painted on Strathmore 500 bristol board using acrylic inks, Prismacolor watercolor pencils, Derwent Inktense pencils, and gold acrylic paint.  More cards to follow.