At Shuffled Ink, we take immense pride in collaborating with artists who bring unique perspectives and deep personal connections to their work – one such artist is Sadiqeh Agah, a talented visual artist based in Richmond, California, whose journey into professional art has been one of rediscovery, healing, and cultural exploration.
An Artistic Journey Rooted in Memory and Emotion
Originally from Northern Virginia and later Brooklyn, NY, Sadiqeh has spent the past decade in the Bay Area, where she lives with her partner and son. Though she once studied art as a young student, it wasn’t until recent years that she fully embraced a professional artistic path. During a personal healing journey following two miscarriages, she returned to painting and drawing, finding solace and identity in the creative process.
Her work, created with watercolor, gouache, ink, graphite, and pastels, is inspired by the interplay of memory—both its delight and its sorrow. While her pieces have always been deeply personal, she has recently begun incorporating the motifs and imagery that shaped her Iranian-American upbringing.
Reviving Traditional Art Techniques Through Printmaking
As a child, Sadiqeh experimented with stamp-making using pink erasers, a technique she recently revisited after seeing other artists embrace it on social media. Inspired by the clean yet intricate work of Studio 825, she set out to create her own carved stamps—this time to bring Persian-inspired playing cards to life.
For this project, she drew inspiration from Persian artistic traditions, including ghalamkar (or qalamkar) textile patterns for the card backs, the fine detail of Persian miniature paintings for the face cards, and well-known Persian symbols for the suits. Each stamp was carefully hand-carved from pink erasers and rubber pads, with graphite sketches laid down before carving. To add a distinctive touch, she opted for gouache paint rather than ink, ensuring that each print maintained a unique, handcrafted quality.
From Hand-Painted Originals to Professionally Produced Decks
The initial deck was painstakingly crafted on Strathmore Watercolor Trading Cards, a trusted favorite sourced from St. Louis Art Supply. While the handmade versions carry an undeniable charm, Shuffled Ink had the privilege of reproducing these playing cards, allowing Sadiqeh to share her art with a wider audience.
Her Persian-inspired deck is a testament to the beauty of blending traditional artistic elements with contemporary craftsmanship. We are honored to have played a role in bringing her vision to life and look forward to seeing where her artistic journey leads next.
Where to Find
You can find Sadiqeh’s art on her website and the cards on her Product page. Both are linked below!
- https://www.sadiqehagahart.com/
- https://www.sadiqehagahart.com/product/playing-cards/32?cs=true&cst=custom
Shuffled Ink is always happy and grateful for having amazing clients like Sadiqeh. Her perseverance and creativity are both inspiring and we can’t wait to see what she will be doing next! To get your story featured or make your own deck, you can contact us here.
About Shuffled Ink
Shuffled Ink is a multigenerational family business that specializes in printing custom playing cards, tarot & flash cards, custom card games, packaging and more for businesses and individuals worldwide.
To receive complimentary samples of our card products, either follow this link or please include your delivery address and phone number on your custom quote request form.