This is the first work of our four-part saint series, Saint Sebastian as the Ace of Wands. Each of the four pieces are meant to correspond with the four suits of the tarot (wands, swords, pentacles, and cups). We are reclaiming the great symbols instilled in us throughout our lives and wielding the power they've amassed from a long history of spiritual domination the world over. Sebastian was originally a member of Roman emperor Diocletian's Praetorian Guard, the elite unit charged with protecting and acting as agents for those in Rome's highest public offices. When soldierly duties finally came to contradict his faith, he was subsequently tied to a stake before being shot full of arrows by his former comrades. This is the scene we see depicted in our work. It seemed an obvious choice for a first attempt at bringing this concept to screen printing, as he's already been plucked from the index of gloried Catholic saints for use as a queer icon. Note the lean-ass legionnaire musculature, the totally non-sexual binding, and the many penetrations by phallic arrows. This wouldn't kill him, though. He miraculously recovered, hence his current venerated status, but was ultimately clubbed to death after confronting Diocletian directly. This is the correlation with the Ace of Wands (wands/clubs) and the scene we've set for our Saint Sebastian; his most gruesome show of faith cast within a near retro 3-dimensional altarpiece space and decorated with the flowers of cherries, apples, and peaches.

- Cherry-Apple Peach
11/22/22