Catherine Creaney

My painting titled 'The Fool' was inspired by the Tarot Card of the same name. I have always found the imagery of this card interesting and have made reference to it in a few pieces. My first reference was a self portrait I made at least 20 years ago called The Fallen Feather.  The Fool is often depicted with feathers in their hair and accompanied by a dog walking unknowingly toward the brink of a precipice. In this piece I take on the role of the Fool and I have used my pet Daisy as a model for the dog.  The imagery of the fool has many variations, sometimes depicting a youth, sometimes an old man or beggar. The character is also considered the protagonist of the whole tarot deck, the fool card being the first step on their journey.

With this piece I created an accompanying portrait of my daughter Ada also taking on the role of the fool in youth, in contrast to the middle aged version I depict in this piece. Both pieces representing different stages on life's journey.  I chose a black backdrop to keep the attention on the subjects and as a nod to painters of the past who often used black backdrops.

I have always liked the Shakespeare quote "The fool doth think he is wise but the wise man knows himself to be a fool "It always comes to my mind when I think of the Fool in the tarot deck. It asks questions of the subject, are they really a fool or wise? And this is what I ask of myself when I chose to paint myself as the Fool.