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The Process...
The first step is finding a map that will work for the location and concerns of my client. I have a large collection at home from years of scavenging and collecting. This was from my grandfather's 1934 atlas.
Deciding how to honor the land mass required a dare to just start. Each map area was a different color which interacted with the marker and influenced the final color. Each one was colored with a different pen - I kept track as best I could.
Sometimes I spend months looking at a map and doing test patterns before making the first mark. Here are test colors and doodles. The specified palette was reds, oranges and yellows. Covering up the blue came first.
Things progressed well at this point and I became more familiar with the challenges that were ahead. The map represented where my client's ancestors came from. It was important to show the movement and influence of emigration and the drama of the water. But how?
Introducing the waves shifted the entire piece. The land mass disappeared and became secondary. To balance things out, I enhanced the borders and map markings on the land. But what about all the open map areas including the former "Yugo-slavia?"
I chose to employ more yellow in the secondary areas of the map. The texture is small dots repeated to create patterns. The legend in the corner was tricky to address. The blue background was challenging and shifted some of the yellow into a pale green.
Deciding the piece is done continues to be a challenge. Choosing between not overworking an area and wanting to do more is a balancing act! Finding a good frame that enhances the piece is a favorite part of this process. This beautiful robust frame made in Italy has hints of silver and a rustic smooth finish. It provides the stability for the movement and dynamism of the map.
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