Essential Geography of the United States of America, Edition 2, Version 4.5

An Illustrated Guide to United States Geography 

My work is to geography, what botanical paintings are to flowers. It uses ideal light to clearly reveal the true and aesthetic nature of the subject.

My cartographic style introduces the idea that geography, like music, is a form of aesthetic appreciation. Our planet's mosaic of land, water and people, called "geography," is sublimely beautiful, but scale and complexity make it impossible to see, unless properly illustrated. I believe The Essential Geography is a proper illustration of this largely-overlooked form of planetary appreciation.

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Though a primary means to appreciate our planet and its people, geography remains on the margins of human collective consciousness. 

This work offers a solution by introducing an art-centered form of cartography that disambiguates basic geography. It does this by making all elements of land, water and humanity, including nomenclature, immediately distinguishable and therefore simultaneously observable. This allows the viewer to see geographic patterns, relationships and beauty hidden by the visual discord of traditional wall maps.

Lots of Essential Geography details can be seen on State Portrait pages.