ALL MAPPED OUT!

Hi everyone...it so lovely to meet you. This is my first post here at Sissy Sparrows and am very excited to get to know you all a little more over the coming months. Each month we are going to bring you some fun content, a little look at random and not so random smippets of interesting things. This month I stumbled across and fabulous video which I've shared below which became the starting block for this post. I really hope you will enjoy my little look at the World of Maps and perhaps find some inspiration within to apply to your own art journal pages. 
Okay so if you're anything like me you could potentially get lost trying to navigate your way from the letter box to the front door especially before you've had your first coffee of the day?
Okay so I am slightly exaggerating but you get the jist, lol.  Everyday we are making our way from A to B whether it be a short journey to the kitchen for a fresh pot of tea, or taking the same school drop off route that is firmly etched in our brain. Maybe you're one of the lucky ones to make a journey of a lifetime circumnavigating all 4 corners of the globe or it could be one more personally driven in self discovery. 

Whatever your destination, maps are something we see all the time. They can be as non descript as teeny little clippings on the back of a postal flyer or the pinning your location on FB. It could be a roadside sign or that handy little Navman mounted in your car.  No matter where or what you're doing you can be guaranteed at some point in your day you will see a map whether it be intentionally or one you have passed by thats not even vaguely recalled.
So this got me thinking...Are maps so much a part of our daily existence that we simply take them forgranted or are they a truly beautiful resource cherished and admired, explored and encompassed by people. You may well be surprised to discover that maps are very much the life blood for some artists and this post is all about sharing some of these inspiring, fun and profound ways to create with maps.
Below is an incredibly interesting and intriguing insight into the work of Jerry Gretzinger and his 50 year long creation of an ever changing and evolving map. He describes the metamorphosis of his maps as being akin to watching 'a new world forming' with every updated section being mapped. His process is extraordinary and well worth watching the documentary, so grab that cuppa and settle in for an interesting short jaunt in the mind of this brilliant man.
[Video via Gregory Whitmore]
Then I came across Emma Johnson a British mixed media artist that has a fabulous blog filled with images of her altered art works. Emma almost obsessively deconstructs and transforms the maps into dimensional artworks by fastidiously cutting each each layer/ atlas page to reveal the one below. They remind me of the human circulatory and nervous system, what do you think?

[image via Emmaporium.] 
Here is another fun and simple way to use maps. Jackie Bassett a collage artist prints hauntingly beautiful vintage portraits onto maps. You're left wondering who these tattooed beauties were and what are their stories. This is one I am definitely going to try in an art journal page, how about you are you going to give it a try too?  

[image via Studio Flower Power]
Now this is a cool way to chart your course, why not try stitching directly on your map!

...and here is a link to a tutorial I found on Martha Stewart stepping out how to achieve this simple and effective stitching idea.

There are so many other interesting opportunities for creating with maps. Below are just a few that you could check out and explore...
15 Artists Transforming Maps 25 Things to Make using a Map Pinterest Boards of Maps Home decorating with Maps How to make a Globe Pendant Light Vintage Wall Maps Quotes about Travel Vintage World Maps on Google All About the Atlas
and well thats it...a little retrospective on the Art of Maps... bet you won't look at your old discarded street directories and Road Map 'Refidex' quite the same way again! he he
ooh and if you do create something using any of these ideas we would love you to share them with us so pop a link to your gallery or blog post in the comments box so we can swoon. 
Have fun mapping, scrapping and journaling everyone.