I recently received a large mailing tube...and inside was an extensive collection of marine and topographic maps...my artist friend Dave from Clearer Reflections is cleaning out his studio...and thought I could make good use of these.
Of course, he is exactly correct...I love maps - in all of their forms and permutations. I gave a copy of the book Maphead by Ken Jennings to the Southern Man for Father's Day (rather, Calvin gave his dad the book...) and I am anxious to look at the book myself.
an aside...the Southern Man and I are huge Jeopardy geeks...when Ken Jennings was on his winning streak, I don't think we missed a game...and many years ago, I tried out for Jeopardy when they were in Seattle looking for contestants...I tripped up on Mary Baker Eddy...but I digress...
I find maps fuel my curiosity and my creativity...all the different places one could travel to...and what would one do there...what would one see...
And from an artistic standpoint, the colors, lines and shapes are wonderful background elements for collages...
In the newspaper this week, I read an article that paper maps are on the decline...everyone is using their smartphone and/or GPS to get from point A to point B...which is expedient but doesn't do much to fuel a sense of adventure...
Blue Highways by William Least Heat Moon is a travelogue of his adventures of following the blue roads on a paper map...the less traveled roads...off the main highways. Its a book that I read in college but has always stayed with me...the sense of what one might discover when the pace is a little slower. The Southern Man always chides me that if there are two routes to a destination and one is the interstate, you can bet that I will take the alternative...
So this newest map gift was the impetus for my latest collage...this snippet of a Maine coastal community is perfect background for my "collection of the heart" piece...and has spurred me on a whirl of tearing/gluing/nailing/waxing with relish...
and to wonder what it would be like to visit Maine...I've never been there...I'll have to go some day...
