mapsshipsandseamonsters.com

Laurag@sonic.net

707-481-5430

I was introduced maps and navigation when I was a child, and so began my fascination with, and passion for, creating and altering maps. 

Over the years I have been inspired by the maps that were published with the invention of the printing press.  Most of those old map makers never left their villages in the lowlands of Northern Europe. They made their maps from the stories and sketches travelers brought back to them. Their maps were fanciful, sometimes fantastical. I try to repeat that in the maps I make – a sense of the unknown world not yet fully charted, with sea monsters lurking and ships suggesting some other time or place.

I like to create intricate, freeform borders of the lands and waters in my maps. Using collage, watercolor, pen and pencil, I look for a balance of shapes and lines that give the maps veracity as well as beauty. When we see maps displayed on a table or wall or in a book, we want to identify and to recognize the location.  I want the viewer to imagine for a moment that the map could be a real place; and wonder quizzically "have I been there?" 

I graduated from the California College of Arts in 1984. Not long after, I graduated from nursing school. Throughout my career as an Emergency/Critical Care/Flight Nurse I continued to create art. I have been focused on maps, ships, and sea monsters for the last 15 years or so. The time I spend in my studio fills me with happiness, and acts as a relaxing counterpoint to a busy nursing career.

My father taught me how to read and navigate by maps. He taught me to see the artistry of maps – how different map makers use unique styles, visual textures and color to convey specific information. The cartouches (insets) in my maps echo the symbol guides, distance equivalents, and navigational information that help us interpret the shapes and lines of a map.  If you look closely, you will discover the inaccurate whimsy of my art.