Tarot Series: The Devil

(Mixed Media Vandyke Brown Print. The Devil by Nick Norris)

I did a series of silver prints that corresponded with the Tarot's major arcana. The piece was heavily inspired by the Persona series and the foreground is appropriated from the Berserk manga. The technique used here was self portrait. Then with some vellum paper and a woodblock, I carved a copy of the foreground that I then took a picture of. These I fused together as a negative and baked my print in UV light. What isn't shown is the clear sheet that flips and layers over against the photo, hiding the human features.

When I made this print, I was in a highly unhealthy relationship where both sides were mutually using each other. I was homeless, and she was trying to connect with someone even if it was superficial. The nature of our relationship perpetuated this feedback of despair and hatred towards myself that would leak out in my work unknowingly. I made the picture before even adding it to my series. There's a lot of emotion attached here, but we're both in much better places now.

A little primer for those who aren't familiar with the major arcana: The Devil symbolizes a voluntary bondage to a negative force. A person might be inclined to make a scapegoat to justify the means. The Devil represented in the cards draws out raw desire and drains the victims of life force. Often the art shows a couple chained to each other and the Devil. The couple has small horns or other subtle, demonic features. This symbolizes that longer the two stay in the company of the Devil, the more like him they become. The Devil resides in the darkest unconscious of our mind. Once you become imprisoned there, it takes a conscious effort to break the chains binding you.