Genevieve Barbee-Turner AKA Killer Pancake Illustration uses tarot cards as a medium discuss body and identity. She was the featured speaker at our September Artist Guild.
“Killerpancake is the nom de plume I use as a 2D mixed media artist and card designer based in Pittsburgh, PA. Combining illustration and a socially informed practice, I tell stories about contemporary Appalachia and queer / femme identity with a splash of gothic aesthetic.
While I have a BFA in Art from Carnegie Mellon, my practice was built long before I entered an art studio.
My pen name is an ode to how I create. A reference to a cozy mystery audiobook title from my childhood, listening to a story has always painted pictures inside my head in a way that nothing else can. This led me to create a podcast in 2012 called The AP Collection interviewing anyone that would talk to me about Pittsburgh and creativity. These conversations became a fully illustrated 78 card tarot deck detailing the realities of “New Pittsburgh” called Bridge Witches: A Tarot Deck.
In the cards I can combine a love of portraiture and oral tradition—exploring how we talk about ourselves and the symbols used to communicate our values. A tarot deck is both a communication tool and an illustrated universe that fits into a pocket. Since creating Bridge Witches in 2016, I have built several other decks exploring mental health, queer identity, imposter syndrome, and income inequality.
I create my decks first with paper and pencil in a sketchbook and then on an iPad with Procreate. Using print-on-demand services I release extremely limited print runs of each deck for sale through my website and limited wholesale. As of March 2021 I have sold a tarot deck deck about Pittsburgh across the United States, Canada, Europe, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand.”
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