Magical Thinking

An upcoming exhibition in Honolulu, ARTINTIME, gave me the perfect opportunity to make something I’ve been thinking about for awhile: an Oracle deck. I’ve long been interested in Tarot and Oracle cards as a method of using symbols and visual language to access intuition.

Sewing is an exercise in applied intentionality, combining materials into something new, charged with intimate and deliberate focus.


All the pieces in this show must use a small tin box, 3” x 3”. (See photos from past shows here.)

I rusted, distressed and pulled apart my little tin, and added a stitched title.


Inside are 14 different Oracle cards, each with an image and name stitched on one side.


A plain black backing keeps them identical when reversed, allowing someone to randomly select a card. It also creates a little pocket, inside which is a short statement describing each card. I also included a Guide.


I named it THE ORACLE OF WOVEN SPELLS because there is, I believe, something very magical about stitching. Sewing is an exercise in applied intentionality, combining materials into something new, charged with intimate and deliberate focus.

I’m excited that this deck is out in the world, and curious to see where its journey will take it.

ARTINTIME opens Friday April 3 at 6pm at the Hawaii State Art Museum in Honolulu.