Lars-Kristian Holmsen

The record

The Lars-Kristian Holmsen Tarot is an inviting, inexpensive deck-and-book combination which is suitable for all ages. The artwork is reminiscent of children’s book illustrations: simple, brightly colored, and a bit whimsical. (The Lithuanian artist Vaida Gastiunaite has also illustrated a book of Hans Christian Anderson stories.) Although the artwork is stylistically simple, it very effectively and creatively captures the archetypal essence of the Tarot cards. In its style and cost it is similar to the Tarot Nova deck from Running Press. The deck is not really “named”, but is simply called “Tarot, by Lars-Kristian Holmsen” on the packaging. (I call it the H-G Tarot, short for Holmsen-Gasiunaite.) The deck and companion book are packaged in a book-like cardboard case, which is secured with a dark green ribbon. Inside the case on the left are two wells for the cards, and on the right is a well for the 114-page hardcover companion book. The cards are a typical size (2 11/16 x 4 5/8 in., or 118 x 68 mm), on a light but flexible card stock. They have a glossy finish, and my main critique is that they tend to retain smudges. There is a tendency for the cards to stick together in a fan sp

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