Working my way up the West Coast

Here's a few shots of my latest custom piece. It features St. Helena Island including the towns of Port Royal and Beaufort, South Carolina. 

Since I've started making custom pieces, I've rendered the Savannah, Georgia delta area, Tybee Island, and Hilton Head, South Carolina. Now, moving just a little farther north, I've logged in St. Helena Island. I imagine a request for the Charleston area won't be far along.

It's tricky working this part of the country -- river deltas, coastal shoals, islands, wetlands, waterways, bridges and an ever-changing landscape require some of the most detailed and time-consuming work I've done, but I love the payoff with all the finger-like rivers pressing into the land, and the massive ocean depths just off the coast of the continent. 

On the Walls and in the Blogs!

I follow a handful of decorating, design and how-to blogs in my feeds, so it was a delight to spy my work hanging on the wall of a home featured today on Apartment Therapy's blog.

Browsing the house tour, it's easy to see that they're fans of clean lines, white space, and maps, so it made me smile to know that they'd found my work appealing as well. It's also fun to see that they've spanned the continent with their selections of a San Francisco Bay for the west coast, a Minneapolis Chain of Lakes for the Midwest, and a Manhattan for the east coast. Nice set, guys!

Craftstravaganzaaaaaaaa!

Hey! It's nearly that time again! No, Beastie Boys, not time to get ill; it's time to get ready for the 2013 St. Paul Craftstravaganza.

This is a one-day event held at the Progress building at the MN State Fairgrounds. It will be filled to the gills with some of THE BEST local and regional indie craftsters and artists, and in a variety that will ensure everyone finds a handful of goodies that they have to have. I'll have my fearless assistant (and lovely sister-in-law) Sarah along to help, and one of the best things about having help is that I'll get to sneak out and do a bit of shopping myself!

Folks, if you'd like to find unique, handmade gifts for Mom (the very day after the show!), or for yourself, and if you'd like to support independent, handmade works, this is the show for you! The Progress building is a lovely old building with loads of natural light, high ceilings, and a wonderfully, rustic loft feel to it. It's brighter, wider and warmer than the Fine Arts building they've inhabited in years past. Come check it out next Saturday, May 11th, stop by for a handshake and a hug, and enjoy the shopping!

Iowa Great Lakes

Newly added to the shop: The Iowa Great Lakes in the Okoboji area.

You can check out the listing for this piece via this link.

Das Fenster ist offen.

For the first time ever for me, I'm working in my studio with a window open. And it is so nice. Serenaded by robins, cardinals, chickadees, red-bellied woodpeckers, nuthatches and Spring Peepers from the local ponds.