THE LOWBROW TAROT PROJECT

10: The Wheel of Fortune

Change and movement, destiny and opportunity, expectation, perspective and direction are all facets of the Wheel of Fortune –a card which reveals the fates of individuals as being intertwined with each other and with larger forces. Much like ourselves, the characters directly around the wheel have different paths and purposes and experience their respective fortunes from unique points of view. Collectively they are all caught up in the same shifting, constant cycle, bound by the the twists and turns of life and subject to fortune's whims. The Wheel of Fortune is historically said to be turned by the goddess Fortuna, and in her spirit the corner figures provide a feminine counterpoint to the more masculine characters pictured on the wheel. These goddess figures also symbolize forces, divine or natural, which are outside of our control. Here they are specifically tied to the elements of earth, wind, water and fire, and help direct and power the spinning of the wheel.

Heather Watts weaves the detailed narratives in her paintings from threads of collective memory and mythology. Her work explores the bittersweet nature of life through the pageantry of anthropomorphic villains and anti-heroes, all rendered with an eye to what they reveal about the realities of our own world. Watts is self-taught in the arts, having learned to paint and create through a trial and error process of obsessive practice. Based out of Vancouver, Canada, she has been a full-time professional artist since 2003. Her paintings have been exhibited and sold in galleries from California to Florida as well as abroad.