Coal Miner

 

“Oh come all you young fellers, so young and so fine, seek not your fortune in a dark dreary mine.” This tribute to coal miners was inspired by Johnny Cash’s haunting rendition of Dark as a Dungeon. These men risked life and limb to bring energy out of the earth, and into our homes.

James Madison

 

This portrait of James Madison appears in today’s edition of The Wall Street Journal. This story looks at the debate our founders had about how much federal representation individual states should have. Madison argued that representation should be proportionate to the population of each state, which would have been more reflective of a true democracy. Unfortunately, the author of the Constitution lost this debate. Regardless of enormous disparities in population, each state has two senators. Thanks to art director, Alice Cheung, for this fascinating assignment!

Please visit my website to see more fun projects.

(Map: David Rumsey Historical Map Collection. Convention scene: Alamy Stock)

Self Portrait

 

Hey, who is this guy? I haven’t drawn a self-portrait in many years, but at the request of my agent, I drew this one for a group promotion. It was surprisingly fun to draw.

You can check out a full gallery of my map portraits here!

Or check out my Etsy shop here!

Ben Franklin

I drew this piece for a dear friend who recently retired from teaching social studies. As a history buff, she always admired this founding father. And why not? To name a few accomplishments, he served as a statesman, inventor, scientist, publisher, printer, and abolitionist, as well as the first US Postmaster General. Of all the founders, he was one of the biggest believers in democracy.

Signed prints of this piece are available here, in my Etsy shop.

Angela Davis

 

Whenever I contemplate a new portrait to on a map, I always ask myself, "who can hold that space?". In this case, I chose a woman whose courageous activism and intellectual contributions to education could fill the state of California.  

Signed prints of this portrait are available here, in my Etsy shop.

 10% of each print sale will be donated to Black Lives Matter.

Adrianne Lenker

 

The borough of Brooklyn is a famous hotspot for groundbreaking indie-rock bands. In that spirit, here’s a portrait of Adrianne Lenker, singer and guitarist for Big Thief. I drew this while listening to their rewarding new Album, Dragon Warm Mountain I Believe in You.

Patti Smith

 

Last year, my dear friend Bernadette found a beautiful Hammond Atlas at a Brooklyn yard sale. Knowing that I’m obsessed with drawing on old maps, she generously gave it to me. I wanted to give her a thank you gift, and she suggested a portrait of the great Patti Smith. Knowing that they’re both Jersey-girls at heart, I was sold on this idea. I hope I captured an inkling of this artist’s poetic spirit. Thank you for this incredible gift, Bernadette!

Kingfisher

   

Kingfishers are such badass-looking birds, I just had to draw one.

 

Signed prints of this piece are available here, in my Etsy shop.

Baby Alligator

 

Baby alligators are pretty darn cute.

Signed prints of this portrait are available here, in my Etsy shop.

John Lewis

 

Out of humble roots in Alabama, John Lewis rose to become one of the most significant civil rights leaders in America. I was born on Bloody Sunday, the day he made his fateful march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. This event would help inspire the most important voting rights legislation in US history. John Lewis is no longer with us, but he provided us with a template in fighting for voting rights going into the future.

Signed prints of this portrait are available here, in my Etsy shop.

Donkey

 

After my daughter studied in Athens for a semester, she mentioned seeing donkeys everywhere, almost like they were the spirit animals of Greece. I never forgot this observation, and did a little drawing to honor these beautiful creatures.

Maine Moose

 

As a child, the first peak I ever climbed was Mt Katahdin, in Baxter State Park, Maine. Here’s a tribute to this beautiful place, which inspired a life-long love of hiking. It goes without saying that the moose is a spectacular animal to represent Maine.

Signed prints of this portrait are available here, in my Etsy shop.

  

Aldous Harding

 

This singer-songwriter from New Zealand makes the most enchanting music. I drew this portrait solely while listening to her new album, Warm Chris. Her lyrics are so cryptically beautiful, you're compelled to keep listening in order to decipher them.

Extraterrestrial

This undocumented visitor was recently spotted in New Mexico. This sketch is based on several eyewitness descriptions. The truth is still out there!

Signed prints of this piece are available HERE, in my Etsy Shop.

Māori Woman

No doubt, the number one priority on my bucket list is to visit New Zealand one day. In tribute to the indigenous people of this beautiful island, here's a portrait of a Māori woman. 

Signed prints of this piece are available HERE, in my Etsy shop.

Rocky Mountain Big Horned Sheep

Metaphorically speaking, I was digging in Colorado, and unearthed this Rocky Mountain Big Horned Sheep. No doubt, these majestic creatures are tough enough to survive in the most rugged of conditions. They're a perfect symbol for this iconic mountain range. This is part of a series called World Tour - in which I use pages from an old atlas as canvases - painting images relating to the place on each map.

Signed prints of this piece are available HERE, in my Etsy shop.

The Emperor of Antarctica

 

While drawing these Emperor Penguins, I read that temperatures in Antarctica are 70 degrees above normal (no typo). What does this portend for life on that continent?

Signed prints of this piece are available HERE, in my Etsy shop.

10% of profit from each print will be donated to the World Wildlife Fund

Montana Trout

 

Whenever I think of Montana, I think of fly-fishing for trout. No doubt, this drawing was influenced by Norman Maclean's classic novel, A River runs Through It, a wonderful meditation about the great outdoors. 

Yale Alumni Magazine Cover

 

I had the pleasure of illustrating this cover of Yale Alumni Magazine. This portrait depicts Yan Phou Lee, Yale class of 1887. Originally from China, He would combat prejudice in America by becoming a fierce advocate for the rights of Chinese immigrants. Enormous thanks to art director, Jeanine Dunn, for entrusting me with this fantastic assignment. Below are some cover ideas:

 

   

Included in the interior article is this family tree I illustrated for Yan Phou Lee's descendants:  

This article opener represents Yan Phou Lee during his time at Yale University, in New Haven, CT.

Please visit my website to check out more map drawings and illustration projects 

Thanks for being here!

Chronogram Magazine Cover

 

It was an honor to have my artwork featured on the cover of Chronogram, the premiere arts and cultural magazine of the Hudson Valley. This portrait depicts Eva Perón (also known as Evita), the iconic first lady of Argentina. I'm an avid reader this publication, as it lets me know what cool stuff is happening in this region. It was a thrill to be a contributor to its pages.

The magazine featured more of my portraits on the editors page, as well as in a write-up about my artwork (which you can read here).

Below is this drawing in full context. Signed prints of this piece are available here, in my Etsy shop!

 

Thanks for visiting!

Prince

I was searching for Paisley Park on an old map of Minnesota, and somehow ended up drawing this portrait. No doubt, if Minnesota had a Mount Rushmore for great artists, Prince would be right up there, next to Bob Dylan.  

Signed prints of this portrait are available here, in my Etsy shop.

Cesar Chavez

 

Across America, labor strife is percolating at hotspots such as Starbucks, Amazon and Tesla. By confronting poor working conditions and pay, these activists bring to to mind this legendary organizer. His leadership helped strengthen the rights of farm workers everywhere.  

Sylvia Plath

 

Early on in Sylvia Plath’s classic novel, The Bell Jar, the main character, Esther, attempts to take her own life by drowning in Boston Harbor. This would set the tone for her struggles to maneuver through life with mental illness. In real life, the author enlightened us to the deep depression so many people suffer through silently.   

Signed prints of this portrait are available here, in my Etsy shop 

Krista Weaver CD Design

 

 

I had the pleasure of designing and illustrating this CD for a fantastic signer-songwriter, Krista Weaver. The storytelling in her songs evokes a wonderful sense of place, hence, the integration of maps into the design. 

This was my first endeavor into CD design, and I learned so much from the experience. Enormous thanks to Krista for including me in this project. 

Please check out and order Krista's amazing new album here, or you can order the CD here.

Thanks for visiting!

Polar Bear

Without a doubt, the mighty polar bear lives in the crosshairs of climate change. Because the environment they thrive in has been so dramatically altered by global warming, these magnificent creatures have been classified as a vulnerable species. 

Signed prints of this piece are available here, in my Etsy shop

(10% of proceeds from each print will be donated to Polar Bears International.)

Koala

 

No doubt, the Koala ranks as one of the most iconic animals on planet Earth. But due to land clearing, bushfires, drought, disease and other threats, these tiny marsupials have been added to Australia’s Endangered Species list.

Signed prints of this piece are available here, in my Etsy shop.

(10% of proceeds from each print will be donated to the World Wildlife Fund.)

Hawaiian Sea Turtle

 

In Hawaii, the Green Sea Turtle is known as a Honu, which means a sacred animal. They are symbols of good luck and wisdom.

Signed prints of this piece are available here, in my Etsy shop!

Holiday Cards

 

It’s become a tradition for me to draw custom holiday cards for my loved ones. These are three of my favorites, as they depict our beloved four-legged family members. As you can tell, I’m way behind on updating this blog. I apologize for that, and will work diligently to catch up. Thanks for viewing!

Taylor Swift

 

" But I, I was high in the sky, with Pennsylvania under me. " 

These are lyrics from the song "Seven", from Taylor Swift’s classic album, Folklore. This iconic singer-songwriter's persona seems to transcend all borders, but we all start off in a hometown. In her case, it was a farm in Reading, Pennsylvania. From there, she would go on to conquer the world with spectacular songwriting skills, and an enchanting voice. This drawing unfolded from the pages of an 1893 atlas a wonderful artist friend gave to me. More portraits to come soon!