Swoon Studio

I went to Las Vegas for my brother’s wedding and around the slot machines my cousin said “Oh, I see why you don’t like to gamble — being an artist is just gambling with your whole livelihood every single day.” And I really felt that.

“Many folks, myself included, use tarot and other forms of cartomancy, not necessarily to predict the future, but as a therapeutic tool for open-ended self-exploration and creative problem-solving. I understand the perspective of rationalists who believe that cartomancy is a superstitious pseudoscience, because I used to think that way, too. If you’re a hard-nosed rationalist, “Into the Forest” might not appeal to you. But if you can set aside your knee-jerk opposition and give it a chance, you might find that Curry’s use of the oracle deck as an art form opens new possibilities of creative expression and psychological depth.“ from writing about Into the Forest, solo show up now at

I'm only just seeing this piece about our dear Orien. The detail about him always just crashing the boat into the docks brough back so many memories I laughed till I cried.

The Last Pied Piper: How Artist Orien McNeill Redefined Waterways Explore the adventurous life of Orien McNeill, the artist who redefined participatory art on waterways.

“Other artists have created oracle decks. Salvador Dalí designed a surrealist tarot deck in the 1970s, and the art colective Hilma’s Ghost exhibited a tarot deck at the 2021 Armory Sbow in New York City that was inspired by the mystical abstract paintings of early-20th-century artist Hilma af Klint. Novel as those decks were, they were still tarot decks with meanings that have been established through centuries of use. Because Curry’s deck is not a tarot deck, and she developed the imagery for each card through an intuitive process of memory and imagination, the meanings of her cards are less fixed. She extends the same freedom of intuitive self-reflection to her viewers that she herself brought to the making of the cards. And she wants people to actually use them as part of their everyday lives. Priced at $50, they are relatively affordable.” Logan Royce Beitmen, reviewing Into the Forest at Full article linked in bio

Ok but for real though I am obsessed with my new toy. People always ask if I live with my art, and as a rule I don’t. Once it’s done I get a mile away from it. This may be the first work of art I’ve had a daily relationship with. For everyone who supported this project early, decks are beginning to ship now! And if you missed the Oracle of the Sibylants kickstarter, you can find them on my website, linked in bio.

Mehdi Ben Cheik and are creating an exhibition with the this summer. Here’s a little throwback to when they hung works throughout the whole museum, including Thalassa in the great hall. I had goosebumps. Looking forward to this year’s show.

Las Vegas you’re a weird chaotic maximalist post modern bird, but amongst cities, you are singular.

Speaking of artist biographies that I’ve loved, here’s a collaboration with one of my dear friends whose book Concrete Dreamland just came out last year. Really profound read, with lots of funny stories and endless old New York. Let’s add that to the perfect to listen to while you’re making art in the studio list.

Just got done listening to ‘s autobiography the Friday Afternoon Club. It’s so good. I love artist biographies. They get me through the parts of studio life where you need to be alone but you still wanna hear stories from the creative trenches. Here’s my poster of Griffin from when I worked on ’s Caught Stealing. I love the contrast between this character on screen, and the person who shows up on the page of the Friday Afternoon Club. What other artist, actor, writer, musician bios should I be listening to while I work?

This was one of those magical Santa Fe moments. The New Mexico artist community has long been incredibly open minded and had such a powerful relationship with nature, and the Ra Caves are a perfect example of that. The self taught sculptor Ra Paulette spent decades ✨HAND CARVING✨ these beautiful wilderness shrines into the sandstone of the high desert hills. This is just one of them, and it’s a stunning instance of an artist dedicating themselves to creating transcendent experiences for others.