Our first collection of Mississippi River maps began with a gift from Louisiana of 11 historic maps. The donor hoped that we could “do something with these maps.”   No I do NOT paint the originals, but make very high resolution scans which are reproduced on a paper that is balanced between a nice art paper and an acid-free product.

Lisa starts with B&W, then adds layers of stain, color to give the painting some of the parchment feel and weathered look. Every wrinkle and stain is the work of the artist. It’s a process that has evolved through time and experience.  We then may make a hi-resolution scan of the finished map for limited edition prints, or gift prints of various sizes.

Can You Paint MY Historic Map?

We will scan the map and paint the scan, not the original historic map. The final price on the paintings and prints will vary once the artist has considered the project. Your historic map will be treated carefully and returned to you.

What Kind of Paints do you use?

Lisa generally uses a “guash” of acrylic, but a work might also involve watercolor, pencils, a good scrubbing with some powdered dirt, and cat claws, coffee stains, and tea! Each original painting is a specific, unique, and surprising original work of art.

Can Lisa paint a map I like, but in a different pallet of colors?

YES, when you place your order for a custom map be sure to mention your preferred color palette: Earth tones, Jewel tones, Fall colors or Sepia tones.

Each map might have as many as 7-8 layers of colored paint, stains, or pencil work. Thus the depth and luminous quality of the maps… almost like thin layers of Tiffany stained glass. So an original will generally take about one week.  The process of printing the Limited Edition Prints adds a couple of additional days.

Lisa has been painting maps for 8-10 years… so her technique is her own, honed as the years went by.

To see a video narrated by Lisa please click here.