The North America map has a vast amount of detail, and sharing the countless stories it holds is important. You're welcome to ask me about its contents, and I'm working on reference tools for the prints, but I also thought - why not take a tour from time to time? So, I reopened my notebook, dived into the map, and picked 12 interesting places and cases to talk about. There is no underlying theme, just a scattershot journey across the map. So - welcome to the (first) blog tour of North America. 1. The Sasquatch - Willow Creek, CaliforniaSomething does not have to be real for it to matter (not that I’m saying Bigfoot is real or not, of course...). Mythology captures our imagination in vivid ways, and local legends play a significant role in the character of place. Whether it’s Nevada’s extraterrestrial highway or a plesiosaur in the waters of Loch Ness, urban legends and mythology are well-suited to a pictorial map.
2. The Lionfish – Honduras coastAnimals are everywhere on my maps. They evoke place so well (what says Australia more than a kangaroo?), and are the inhabitants of the land or water that I draw. But not all animals are native, or do they contribute positively to local ecology. I could be referring to livestock of course, but also the problem of invasive species - a problem we know all too well in New Zealand. The Mesoamerican Barrier Reef stretches over 1,000km from the Yucatán to Honduras. It is the second largest reef system on Earth after Australia’s. The lionfish - an invasive species - is one of the most significant environmental challenges it faces. Pictorial maps have often portrayed the world in an idealised fashion. There is good reason for this - every place has its troubles, and it's unfair to focus on trouble unevenly across places. Still, I felt the lionfish told an important story about the ecology of the Gulf of Honduras. Taking advantage of its impressive and menacing appearance, it is drawn here as a kind of villain on the reef. 3. Fallingwater - Southwest PennsylvaniaFrank Lloyd Wright’s masterpiece in Pennsylvania first enchanted me as a little kid. I remember seeing a picture in a magazine and thinking it was the coolest house in the world. Well, some decades later my opinion hasn't changed. Fallingwater is a stunning piece of architecture, so beautifully integrated with its tranquil surroundings. Drawing it only one centimeter (.4 of an inch) tall was extremely tricky, but I'm thrilled it's on the map. There is another Frank Lloyd Wright building on the map (one that I can remember, that is. There could be more): The epic Falcon’s Nest in Prescott, Arizona. 4. The Titanic - North Atlantic OceanIn fact, there are all manner of ships - oil tankers, ice breakers, coastguard, cruise ships, fishing boats, warships, cargo ships, pirate ships, canoes and kayaks - but perhaps no vessel is more famous than the doomed Titanic. It's drawn on the edge of the map, steaming towards an iceberg right where it sank. Notice that it’s just off the continental shelf - the wreckage lies at a truly great depth of more than 12,000 feet. 5. White Raven – Haida Gwaii islands, Canada
6. Baby, don’t you wanna go? – Chicago, Illinois
7. La Quebrada cliff divers - Acapulco, Mexico
8. Stonehenge II - Hunt, Texas
9. Mt Thor - Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada
10. Che Guevara - Santa Clara, Cuba
Also, if you're particularly interested in Cuba, I wrote two blogs about the island while I drew it in 2016. Here is Part 1 and Part 2. 11. Tyrannosaurus Rex – Drumheller, Alberta, Canada
12. Maps within maps - Texarkana, USA
...where would you like to hear about next?
Previous blog entry: New maps and new mountains (January 2020).
8 Comments
Scott Ellis
2/13/2020 09:26:17 am
Can't wait to buy a copy!
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2/13/2020 09:45:45 am
What an exciting tour, Anton! I’m so pleased for you that this epic project is complete and that you’ll be able soon to share it with all of us. Congratulations! 🎉
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Andrew Sawers
2/13/2020 10:50:17 am
Blog idea = Wallops Island, Virginia.
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Cindy McCarty
2/14/2020 03:55:29 am
Your map is so fantastic, I can hardly describe my love of it! Thank you so much for the blog describing some of the map features. I will eagerly await any other posts you’d like to write.
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Andrew Fellowes
2/22/2020 10:02:56 am
Hi Anton, can’t wait to get the map. In your next blog I’d love to hear about any legends of the Wild West that feature in the North American map.
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Nancy Mason
4/10/2020 06:45:04 am
Our map arrived 2 days ago in Asheville, NC near the Blue Ridge and Smokey Mountains. I’m a retired graphic designer and have done some map “covers”. I was so excited about your work and am even more so since we received it, perfectly packed! I do have to tell you, that the place where I was born was a territory when I was born, now a state but not on the map. I was born on the Aleutian Island of Adak in Alaska...too far in the Bering Sea, I suppose, to make the cut! 😉My woodworking husband is going to mount the map. Getting the materials is difficult during the time of isolation but we are getting it done. Thank you so much!
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Lloyd Spivak
4/16/2020 09:51:48 am
Ah, but you haven't truly lived until you've seen "Carhenge" in Alliance, Nebraska, at the western edge of the Sandhills.
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Lloyd Spivak
4/16/2020 10:10:19 am
Just ordered a copy. Cant wait to get it and frame it.
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