Custom watercolor maps and architectural illustrations
I grew up in the beautiful State of Mississippi canoeing and white water rafting down many rivers with the Audubon society of my Father's bird watching trips. My father taught me how to read a map as I began to be curious of all the places we traveled and the rivers we had coursed. Soon I became the navigator for all road trips. I didn't have to ask "Are we there yet." I could tell you exactly.
I have always loved art and math so I studied Architecture in school at Mississippi State. While I love the profession, I yearned for the days of school building models and drafting by hand.
My color palette comes from vintage sepia photographs, old style blueprints, gray etchings or lithographs, and aerial perspectives. Watercolors make a great aged ombre wash. I hand paint each color block with a tiny brush rather than use masking fluid for the white space. Primarily because painting with watercolor is fun; painting with masking fluid is not so fun and unpredictable. I like the precision of drafting and maps are a great balance of art and math much like architecture. Sometimes to break things up I will paint abstractly in acrylic or oil paint.
My work is primarily commissioned. Clients give me a location or address, specify a color theme, and size of the painting. We work together to create the composition of the meaningful locations, streets, landmarks, and other focal points. Some clients request to title the painting with a personal or quirky title and some like to add a star or heart with initials in certain locations.
While I have not been to all the locations I have painted, I somehow feel like I have traveled there in my mind and on paper. It's an interesting way to see the world and I am thankful for every painting I get to paint.
