Oilpainting tarot - Klára Sedlo

Oilpainting Tarot - 28 cards reproduced from original oil paintings

This is not a drawn or digital deck. Klára Sedlo painted every image first on canvas, in oil paint, on formats ranging from 20 by 20 centimetres to 100 by 100 centimetres. What you hold in your hands are reproductions of those paintings.

Sedlo works in Prague and combines surrealism with symbolism. She describes herself as a synesthete: she translates feelings into visual images. That explains something in the cards. The compositions were not designed from a system. They were painted from an inner image that needed to come out.

What the cards show

Sedlo drew her visual inspiration from historical tarot cards from 17th-century Italy and France. Simple lines, bold colours, an aesthetic that references that era without being trapped in its conventions. Every image is an original interpretation.

The deck holds 28 cards instead of the classic 22 of the Major Arcana. Some traditional archetypes remain: Death, Wheel of Fortune, Gentleness. Others have been adapted or are entirely new: Hen, Architect, Shoe Quarrel. These choices reflect contemporary themes and Sedlo's own world of associations.

How this deck works

Sedlo describes the intended use as associative and intuitive. The colourful figures, the symbols and the composition of each scene are there to help you make your own connections. There is no rigid system underneath.

The deck comes with a guidebook. Sedlo recommends reading it before going straight to the card meanings. In it, she shares what she considers important when working with her cards, which is a different approach from a standard keyword list.

The cards came out of a painting process Sedlo herself describes as a wild river flowing directly from the subconscious onto the canvas. That quality is present in the images.

About Klára Sedlo

Sedlo studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, where she first held a tarot card in her hands. She grew up in a family with a tradition of card reading, though always with ordinary playing cards rather than tarot. Her grandmother taught her card games at the age of eight.

As a synesthete, she translates feeling into image. Alongside her work as a professional painter, she reads cards for friends and acquaintances. This deck was originally planned as an exhibition with a catalogue. During the painting process it became clear that actual cards were what it had to be.

Specifications

• Number of cards: 28
• Language: English
• Author and illustrator: Klára Sedlo
• Published: 2024

Questions we often get

This deck has 28 cards instead of 78 or 22. How does that work?
The deck contains only its own version of the Major Arcana, expanded to 28 cards. There are no Minor Arcana. Some classic archetypes are preserved, others are replaced by new figures Sedlo created herself. It is a standalone system, not a supplement to a standard tarot deck.

What language are the cards and guidebook in?
Both are in English. The cards carry the names of the archetypes, and the guidebook is written by Sedlo herself, explaining how she works with the cards.