Portland-based artist Rachel Rosenkoetter completed the illustrations for her hand-painted original tarot deck The Rainbow Heart Tarot in early 2020, after several years of focused effort. Two weeks ago the Kickstarter campaign to fund the printing of the first edition launched and was met with incredible support, raising over $5000 of the $15000 goal in just a single day.
The Rainbow Heart Tarot is a 78 card psychedelic tarot deck featuring colorful retro acrylic gouache illustrations that emphasize readability and emotional honesty. In its creation Rosenkoetter drew inspiration from a variety of sources including vintage textiles, popular 1970s decks like the Aquarian Tarot, Tibetan thangka painting and contemporary illustration.
Several years ago after suffering a loss, Rosenkoetter worked with the tarot as a way to navigate her grief and anxiety and found in the cards an incredible tool for self-reflection and presence. This led her to create her own deck, the Rainbow Heart Tarot. She created her deck specifically for anyone who’s ready to enter into deeper self-love, self-understanding, and healing, whatever their level of familiarity with the Tarot.
Born in Missouri, Rosenkoetter received her BFA in Painting from Missouri State University and MFA in Visual Studies from Pacific Northwest College of Art. Utilizing painting, collage and installation, her work investigates mysticism and states of being, using physical form to speak to metaphysical ecstasy and excess. Rosenkoetter is a founding member of the feminist artist-run gallery space Killjoy Collective and works in the Design department at Sock It To Me.
The Kickstarter campaign to fund the first edition of the Rainbow Heart Tarot will run through February 26th, 2020. A variety of prizes for backers are available, including enamel pins, colorings books, limited edition prints, and the deck itself. You can back the campaign at www.kickstarter.com or follow the deck on Instagram at @RainbowHeartTarot
