I forgot to add this fun thing to the Sagittarius decan 2 Part II update, so it’s a bit of a bonus content post.

As mentioned, this is my solar decan. I like to observe the exact moment of my solar returns, as a sort of prognosis or predictive forecast of the upcoming solar year. I also sometimes try to engineer them, in the sense of, be doing something that you want to be doing in that moment.

For this last solar return, I decided I’d like to be doing some art during it. With all the book writing, blog writing, newsletter posting, emails to printers, shepherding the book along…there has been no time for art. I’ve missed it.

So I had this funny idea I wanted to do: a new version of the Krampus. He is a sort of demonic alter-ego to St. Nick. Horned and cloven hoofed, dark or black skinned, very devilish. Instead of rewarding good boys and girls, he punishes the bad ones. He wears a bell (to warn you?) and carries a switch of twigs to paddle the bad kids, and a cage, to cart the worst ones off to hell.

St. Nick’s feast day is December 6th, but Krampus’ is Krampusnacht; “Krampus Night” on December 5th. December 5th happened to be my solar return, so I decided to do my own bad ass version of Krampus. Cowboy Krampus, the bounty hunter.

First I did a pencil sketch. I was working on this during the exact moment of my solar return, and finished that day. Don’t ask me what gave me the idea – he just popped up in my head as a bad-ass cowboy figure.

After that I painted him in color, using Casein (milk paint) for the figure, and watercolor for the background.

It sure was fun. I’m going to use it to make some Yule cards, maybe write a humorous poem to go in it. If I have time, after packing these decks and books.

Onward, back to packing.