THE LOWBROW TAROT PROJECT

20: Judgment

The Judgment Card is about change, resurrection, and facing our past. The Angel tells the fool, "Each step wears down the shoe just a bit, and so shapes the next step you take, and the next and the next. Your past is always under your feet. You cannot hide from it, run from it, or rid yourself of it. But you can call it up, and come to terms with it." I am about to move to a new apartment, and the act of going through each and every possession has forced me to confront my past. I literally could not move forward until I reviewed all the remnants of past relationships, work projects, and family issues. Items need to be either thrown away, given away, sold, or packed up. Each item has its own history and an uncanny ability to reconnect me with past events. Space is limited, so each decision requires deliberation. It would be so much easier to box everything up without a thought and store it away in some shadowy corner. I've been in my current home studio for just about ten years. It's been an amazing decade of change and growth, in my career but also in my family and relationships. Even in the midst of that change, there have been times when I saw myself living here forever. There are others in this building who have been here for over fifty years. Letting go of a sense of place, let alone just the material stuff, has always been difficult for me. This has been a challenging experience, but the process is clearing the way for a fresh start. "

Originally from Flint, Michigan, Scott G. Brooks attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He currently lives and works in Washington, DC. His subject matter ranges from portraiture to intricate narratives. In his paintings, he takes social, psychological, and political issues and injects them with a dark sense of humor. Anatomical distortions separate the figures from the photographic ideal, which gives him the freedom to create his own distorted reality. His work is described as twisted and offbeat, sentimental, and disturbing. In addition to exhibiting in galleries, he has also illustrated several children's books. His influences include Mad Magazine, Disney, Saturday morning cartoons, and the talking heads on cable news.