Size: 24" x 36"

Media: cotton fabric/thread, fashion fabrics, yarn, rayon thread, puffy paint

Price: $800 US

Kim LaPolla © 2001

Statement: This piece of one of three that I made as part of the Tarot Art Quilt Project. The project was put together by a group of fiber artists to create a set of art quilts representing each card in the Tarot deck.

I choose the Six of Pentacles without having any preconceived notions as to its meaning. As I looked over a short list of available cards, this card seemed to pick me. Only after researching its various interpretations, did I discover just why this card was so apropos to me, personally.

The interpretation I choose to represent in this card was the duality of giving and receiving, of having and having not. This card asks you to look beyond first impressions and to consider the situation, whether it be material, physical, or spiritual wealth, from a totally different angle. How many times do we find ourselves focused on what we do not have, instead of seeing the richness all around us.

The six pentacles floating between the two outstretched hands illustrates the ambiguousness of first impressions. Which hand is giving and which is receiving? I've left this up to the viewer to decide.

Because the Six of Pentacles is the card of material wealth, I highlighted this connection with my use of rich, vivid, wealthy colors and the gold and silver painted outlines of the pentacles.

Exhibition History:

• International Quilt Festival, Chicago, IL, 2003
• Tarot Art Quilt Project website