Created not by a single artist but rather by a group of contributing artists, the Artists' Inner Vision Tarot deck is amazing evidence that different styles don't have to clash, but can rather pull together to create a cohesive piece of work that will appeal to a wide-ranging audience.  Some of the artists work with collage, some with paintings, and all kinds of other media as well; ironically, while I usually don't like collage art as much, some of my favorites in this deck are the collage ones, so you know the artists chosen to work in this deck are of high caliber.  As I looked through the deck, I found myself having to force myself to digest each card, because I was so eager to see the next one!  It took about three times going through the deck to really get a good feel for each card as a result.  This is the kind of deck that you would find new things to see in each card every time you read with it.  I love that kind of mystery and discovery in a deck.
 
This tarot is available only as a deck and book set.  The deck comes in a beautiful tapestry fabric drawstring tarot pouch rather than a box.  The book cover is printed in a design which coordinates with the look of the fabric, which makes for an excellent presentation and must have been difficult to achieve.  There is an exclusive limited edition copy of this set also available; the set I have is the regular limited edition (they are all limited because this deck is published privately).  The deck in the exclusive edition is hand-signed by each of the artists and includes a hand-made book with original hand-stamped and screened art.  There were only 250 of these made, so there may not be a lot left now.  I would say to enquire about availability if interested.

The Major Arcana in this deck follow traditional ordering according to the Marseille style and therefore the Justice card is 8 and Strength 11.  However the titles used are the more common Rider-Waite styled ones.  Roman numerals are used on the cards; however, each card's artist has been given the freedom to choose the placement of the title and number, and the type font used, so there is a wide variety in terms of how the cards are laid out.  Some of the cards are extremely complex in their symbolism; others are simple but evocative nonetheless.  The variety also extends to the symbolic style itself; while some cards are fairly traditional in their elements, others are wildly unorthodox.

The Minor Arcana uses traditional suits of Cups, Wands, Swords and Coins.  As with the Majors, a wide variety of styles and techniques rule.  Symbolism also varies.  Those familiar with the tarot will recognize key elements from many traditional decks, but the Minor Arcana are my favorite part of this deck because they are even more unorthodox than the Majors in many ways.  I've seen a lot of decks cop out when it comes to the numbered cards, and this deck does *not* do that in any way.  Each artist applied him or herself just as thoroughly to their assigned Minor cards as they did with the Majors.  Thus, the numbered cards also feature the same kinds of "scenes" as the other cards, and are not merely pips.  The court titles are King, Queen, Princess and Prince.  In a deck with such variety it is best to keep the titles and order to a traditional mainline, and yet this court choice also reflects the balance needed among a group.

The cards themselves are pretty much the standard sized deck and are printed on a wonderful silky textured cardstock with a light semigloss coating for protection.  The edges have been polished to a smooth finish that I just love, and the corners are rounded with the same smoothness.  The deck is comfortable to hold and shuffles and handles easily.  The back design is a work of art unto itself, being a collage work of many beautiful elements.  There is no little white booklet since this set comes with a very nice book.
 
The book which is included with this deck is 170 pages of information about the tarot in general, about the deck in particular, about each card specifically, and about the artists who created it.  One of my favorite things about it is that analogies given for each card include modern mundane things we can all relate to, for example there is a movie described which correlates to the scenario behind each card's meaning.  This helps the user to understand how the card relates to real life in a way most books don't.
 
Special note:  ten percent of the proceeds from the sale of this deck and book set go to Muttmatchers, which is a non-profit agency which helps to place unwanted pets in good, loving homes.  This is an important cause, dear to my own heart, and I was happy to learn that the creators of this deck share my own love of animals and desire to see them taken care of and not destroyed.  If you are not interested in purchasing this deck, will you please consider making a contribution of your own to an animal care association near you?  Thank you!
 
Getting back to the program here, I wholeheartedly recommend this deck for tarot collectors, but it is also useable for readings.  I don't think a beginner will get as much out of this as someone with more experience with traditional decks; however, it's definitely worth getting if one is *learning* tarot because studying the different included elements in each tarot card gives startling insights into the meaning of the cards and the book is excellent with its analogies and clear, straightforward descriptions.  Since this is a privately published deck, purchase information is available at the website.
 
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Review Copyright 2000 by Gina M. Pace

Artists' Inner Vision Tarot by NoMonet, 1999
published by NoMonet/Full Court Press.
ISBN 0-9676804-0-9