S. Elizabeth, author of The Art of Darkness, The Art of the Occult, and The Art of Fantasy as well as the incredible Unquiet Things blog, tells us about painter Karen Kuykendall and growing up with the beautifully surreal Tarot of the Cat People.
Captivating, Curious, Chimerical: Karen Kuykendall’s Cat People from the Outer Regions
Surely you recall imagery from your childhood that dropped your jaw unhingedly and exploded your little mind, warping it wildly forevermore. It might have been something that someone intentionally shared with you, it might have been that you stumbled upon it all on your own, or it might have been something that you weren’t even supposed to see (which was either going to be awesome or desperately traumatic, but either way, those are usually the memorable ones.) My experiences, as do most everyone’s, encompass a little of all of those situations, but there’s always that weird, inexplicable outlier. Something so resonant and formative, exciting and influential and strange that it almost seems like it appeared by magic. Perhaps even when you needed to see such a thing the most, a little wink from the universe!
As a child, the home I was raised in was filled with strange and beautiful things. My mother, while I would not exactly call her an occultist, was an amateur astrologer who hung out with a very metaphysical crowd–she at least exuded those eccentric, New Age vibes and absolutely had the aesthetic down. Our house had gleaming crystal balls and grotesque statuary, waxen candles, and heady incense scattered and strewn across every surface. There were enormous, intricate paintings of gothic cathedrals on the walls, and massive, framed prints of the bold and shocking major arcana from Lady Freda Harris’ Thoth tarot. And since we’re on the topic of tarot cards! There were heavily scented wooden boxes, ornate with filigree etchings tucked into every nook and cranny, each with its own highly stylized, unique set of tarot cards tucked inside.
While my mother never expressly forbid me to peek in these boxes, she equally never invited me to open them. But what was I going to do? Not look? Come on!
It was in one of these mysterious coffers that first I encountered the imaginative, immersive worlds of artist Karen Kuykendall in the form of her Tarot of the Cat People, a transcendent, resplendent deck that combines divination with science fiction and fantasy, wherein “a mystical rapport with cats is established in a distant place known as the “Outer Regions.” Little-me was utterly obsessed and ensorcelled with every intricate nuance pertaining to these dazzling characters in their elaborate costumes embellished with bespangled Byzantine jewelry, bedecked in ethereal cloaks and gowns, flamboyantly ornate headdresses perched upon every head– in a in a full-realized parallel dimension where the inhabitants of gemstone inspired kingdoms and cats of every variety coexist on equal footing. Like the most memorable fantasy realms, it was complex, rich with detail, and highly atmospheric, and, as an impressionable child who was often lost in my own head and the imaginary places I found there, these Cat People were whimsical companions, beckoning me to join them on fantastical wanderings.
Little-me was utterly obsessed and ensorcelled with every intricate nuance pertaining to these dazzling characters in their elaborate costumes embellished with bespangled Byzantine jewelry, bedecked in ethereal cloaks and gowns, flamboyantly ornate headdresses perched upon every head
This marvelously peculiar deck was my gateway to a world beyond the ordinary, where the tarot’s ancient mysticism tangled with the artist’s surreal imagery. Each card was a portal to a new dimension, where the otherworldly and fantastical were accessible via a portal in the palm of my hand. The Cat People within her cards were more than just characters; they were archetypes, embodying the diverse facets of our shared humanity, both light and dark. I felt a deep connection to the artist’s vision, a resonance that transcended time and space; it astonishes me now as powerfully as it did when I first saw it forty years ago. Hers was art that taught me to see the world through new eyes–and ancient eyes!– to embrace the strange and the wonderful in brushstrokes that gleamed across the canvas like spells, conjuring visual flights of fancy and imagination and weaving a tapestry of tales of magic and mystery. I was mesmerized by her unique vision, her ability to capture the spirit of the unreal and impossible, the essence of mystical and mythical, through the harmony of both the feline and the human form.
Even at eight years old, I would have loved to have met this remarkable artist. Heck, I would have loved for her to meet my mother, too, and all of our twenty house-dwelling cats! Sadly the artist passed away in 1998 and we never had the chance (it was not likely to have happened anyway– my mother was, as am I, the most introverted of introverts.) Not having ever spoken with her or met with her personally, the little information I have gleaned tells me that Karen Kuykendall drew her inspiration for The Cat People and their Outer Regions from an incredible array of sources, including Native American folk art, 1960’s hippie culture and Ancient Egypt, her travels to Europe, Mexico, and her home in Arizona as well as her immense love of cats. Her distinctive style embraced art across all mediums. She created hundreds upon hundreds of paintings, costumes, jewelry, and wondrously detailed papier-mâché sculptures over her lifetime –and after her death, her 1,000+ piece collection became a part of the Mesa Historical Museum, where she is described as “ a pioneer in the popularization of science fiction art.” Kuykendall apparently devoted more than two years to the preparation of the original art for the Tarot of the Cat People, and oh, how I would love to have been a fly on the wall as she brought these enigmatic beings to life!
To this day, I spend hours gazing into the curious, chimerical depths of Kuykendall’s artwork, losing myself in that gorgeously strange imagery, and as the years have worn on I realize the impact that these artistic visions had on my psyche was splendidly jarring and unrelentingly tenacious. That little daydreamer whose mind was blown to bits and reformed anew when she peered into that enchanted wooden box, grew into a writer, blogger, and author inspired by the whimsical and weird worlds she found there. Kuykendall’s art was a powerfully oracular gift that helped forge my path, shape my relationship to the sublime, and nourish the spirit of my own creativity, which today explores tenebrous themes of the occult, darkness, and fantasy, with a joyous appreciation for fashion and surreality.
When I was permitted by Kuykendall’s estate to include one of her works in my most recently published book, The Art of Fantasy: A Visual Sourcebook of All That is Unreal, I actually wept with wonderment and gratitude for the opportunity to share something so formative, so integral to who I am today. With artistry both visually stunning and deeply meaningful, Kuykendall’s otherworldly feline fantasies emboldened me to dream big and to embrace the impossible, a testament to the power of creativity and the magic that lies within each of us. In my deepest heart, where I trust can say such things without sounding too corny, I hope that my own writing kindles the same sense of wonder and enchantment in others that Kuykendall’s art electrified in me. And today, tucked away on a dusty shelf in a cluttered corner of my home, sits my own small, carved wooden box, where, snug in a soft cat fur-rimed velvet pouch (which still smells faintly of cat pee, believe it or not) sits my late mother’s Tarot of the Cat People. Laying in wait, I suspect, to blow someone else’s mind.
S. Elizabeth is the author of three books, The Art of Darkness, The Art of the Occult, and The Art of Fantasy. She is also the author of the essential Unquiet Things blog. You can purchase signed copies of all three of her books through her website!
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