New Video Clip


I asked Tyler to shoot some video of me working this morning. Take a look and let us know what you think. We are thinking about maybe doing a series, or even a live webcam. We would appreciate your input.




Also, here is a brief time lapse of two 4x4 sections of the map.

 

Back on Ebay!


Contrary to prevailing advice we have decided to list a few things on Ebay again. The original panel above, showing an airport, a Void Defense Wall (VDW), and an encroaching Void, is currently available on Ebay for $222. There is also a nice selection of prints at $14. Take a look!

The Inner Workings


Hey everyone! I'm Dylan Lettinga, Jerry's cousin and intern here up at Fake Rock Farm working on the various cartographic duties as ordained by the cards. I've been lucky to get work with family as awesome as this before I head off to college, and the work has been nothing but fun. To go into a little more detail about the work I do here: it works in a similar fashion to the way the map is created, the cards assemble a list of chores for the intern(s), it can be anything like scanning images to updating them in the computer's folders. Some days it would be photocopying images to work toward the overall goal to have three complete versions of The Map and to have a full sale stock, or assembling various map scales like 4 x 4 or 8 x 8 tiles using our new map assembly software. Or in this case, I make an appearance on the blog. There's a seemingly endless stream of panels and things to update in order to keep things "high-tech", and we're toying with idea of a computer game based around the map. This is a truly amazing project that I get to be a part of, and great that you all can keep up with it as well.

The Latest Numbers


The population of the Map as of the latest census (1145) was 16,678,978. There were 29 parishes and 467 cities.

The largest cities were:
     1. Ukrainia              2,431,338
     2. Geo                        1,693,938
     3. Leyemouth         1,496,242
     4. Sabratha              1,048,334
     5. Wybourne              870,946
     6. Fields West             713,634
     7. Southchurch         673,740
     8. Nelleville                 603,140  
     9. Jackson                    586,034 
   10. Gebel                        443,338

As of the last inventory (7/22/14) the Map was composed of 3,169 panels covering 2,255.6 square feet. The maximum East-West dimension is 46.7 feet, and the maximum North-South is 48.3 feet. When it is exhibited with one inch spacing between panels, the maximum East-West dimension is 52.5, the maximum North-South is 53.2.




Subscribe today!


Sometimes I lie in bed imagining how new techniques or rules would affect the Map. And sometimes I lie there trying to think of new ways of underwriting my Mapping costs. Here's one: you, because you really believe in this wacky project and want to help support it, subscribe to receive a monthly signed print from me! If you bought these prints individually they would cost $14 each plus $5 shipping. Six of them would cost you $114.

So. how about a half-year subscription for $99? Good deal! Or maybe a whole year for $175? You'd get a copy of the first panel drawn each month.

The one above, by the way, was the first July panel that I worked on.

How 'bout it? Email me at sgattic@aol.com if you want to get on board. Thanks!

Palimpsest or pentimento?



Well neither, really, though both terms come to mind when I describe my process for reworking the panels of my Map. Thanks to modern technology I can scan and reprint a panel without having to erase physically the image or overpaint it in order to revise it.

Shown above is the panel which came up in this morning's draw of the cards. I've applied a grid to guide my collage of one-inch squares that will re-interpret the painted shapes. The original version of this sheet is now preserved in my studio archives.

A few panels have undergone as many as eight revisions. Most panels are in their third or fourth generations.

More cards!


Here's another group of nine cards which were recently retired. Well, they weren't exactly retired but were replaced by copies of themselves. The cards get thicker as I amend the instructions by putting labels over the old ones. Then the deck, comprised currently of 114 cards, becomes nearly impossible to shuffle. So, it became necessary for me to instruct myself to make copies of some which were becoming too thick.

 I find that I am having to revise the instructions almost with every draw in order to accomplish certain tasks I have set for myself. I am trying, for example, to make two complete exhibition sets because of overlapping shows scheduled for 2015. I am about two-thirds of the way there. In addition to the two show sets I have one complete current working set which will stay in the studio so that my work is never interrupted. The three sets together will account for almost 10,000 panels!

 Let me know if you have questions about any of the cards above.

Come and get it!


They're here, and they're beautiful thanks to the folks at Vada Color here in Traverse City. (Pardon my clumsy photo above.) And, yes, this First Edition of Jerry's Master Map is priced at $30 plus shipping ($6 if folded and shipped flat; $8 if shipped in a mailing tube). If you are not in the U.S. just email me (biggouda@aol.com) and ask about shipping rates.

The prints are 20 by 24 inches and are signed and numbered. They show all the panels which composed the May 16, 2014 version of the Map.

Payment by PayPal (sgattic@aol.com) is the easiest for me and, therefore, prefered.

Thanks!

Master Map Prints!


Here's an opportunity to have your own copy of that giant master map some of you have seen at recent exhibitions!

I was at the printer's this morning to talk about the layout for the new, First Edition, Master Map! This composite shows all of the 3100 plus panels, and I have plans to update it from time to time as needed. Signed 20 by 24 inch prints should be available in about a week for around $30 plus shipping. I'll keep you informed!

Come see the Map in Concord!



The show at the Concord (MA) Art Association opened on Thursday, April 17, and the Map installation looks great! Unless I have miscalculated there are 314 panels (or almost exactly 10% of the entire Map) on exhibit.

It's in good company, too. The group show, curated by Ilana Manolson, has as its theme "Personal Terrain" and contains some stellar work by area artists.

If you are in the neighborhood come check it out! The show will be up until May 18. For more info, click the link at right.

Thanks!

A fresh offering!



I am ready (and anxious!) to begin selling Map panels and prints again. Original panels like the one above are available at $300 each. If you want more than one ask about discounts. The 28 by 35 inch indoor/outdoor heavy vinyl prints can be made to order for $180 each. And the simple signed prints are still only $15 apiece.

 If you are interested in getting a chunk of Map for yourself just email me at biggouda@aol.com.

 Thanks!

And We're Back!


Good tidings arrived from Edinburgh this week in the form of the long-awaited Map panels! The Map has made quite a journey these last few years, and all signs point to more travels to come. All 2,800 panels are safe and sound here in icy old Michigan, just in time for the upcoming exhibition at the Concord Art Association.

The Map will make a second appearance in the Bay State at the upcoming Personal Terrain exhibition in Concord, Massachusetts this April. For those who were lucky enough to view The Map before, come peer into it again as many panels now feature fresh artwork.

 Personal Terrain:
Contemporary Mapping
Ilana Manolson, Curator
April 16-May 18, 2014
Opening Reception: 
Thursday April 17, 6-8pm

Hope to see you there!

Some fresh numbers


For all you numbers junkies the Map is now composed of 3111 individual panels covering 1728.3 square feet. If it were perfectly square it would be 41.5 feet on a side. The actual maximum dimensions are 46.7 feet in width and 48.3 feet in height. To mount the entire Map with the standard 1" gaps between panels would require a surface 52.5 feet wide and 53.2 feet long. 

 The population of the Map is now 16,364,902. There are 441 separate cities in the 29 parishes. The largest city is still Ukrainia at 2,414,234 followed by Geo with 1,663,163 inhabitants.

Another note on framing


I framed these Map panels recently using those clip frames, and I think the results are great! The pieces are hung a half inch apart but still read as one continuous map.

If you use this method and start with a large enough expanse of wall you can continue to collect sections and add them as they become available.

Palette


Here is my current palette of paints used on the Map. The 35 colors continue to be remixed, one new color a day. You can see the dates on top of the bottles. The remixing process started about ten years ago when I decided that the palette was too bright. It's now very earthy and subdued. Too much so?

Between shows


It's winter in Northern Michigan, and I am hunkered down getting ready for the next show in Concord, Massachusetts opening in mid-April. The snow is inching over the windows here- over 180 inches so far and plenty of time left before Spring to break the old one-season record of 231". It's 10 degrees outside, and I am working away on the Northernmost panels of the Map, ones that will make their debut in Concord. The Edinburgh show closed last Friday. I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of those four wine boxes full of Map. The Brattleboro exhibit has another month to run.

In the meantime, anticipating new shows in 2015, I am in the process of making copies of the entire Map. That should take over a year, but it will mean that I will always have a version in the studio so that my work can go on uninterrupted. The originals can be on display while I rework the copies. Wanna help? Go to Ebay and buy yourself a few panels or prints. Thanks!

A framing suggestion

Here's a  helpful suggestion with regard to framing for those followers out there with panels in their collections or those who want to snag a few but don't know how they would display them.  These modern "frame-less" frames are available at most craft stores for about $4 each and look great especially when you are hanging several panels in a set.  The clasp system could not be easier to use!

 

Check out the Map panels currently available for sale in my eBay store.

Today's draw


The card drawn earlier today was the 17 of spades! Yes, seventeen since there is now a card in the deck which instructs me to add ten to a card of each suit. This former seven of spades is now a seventeen and had me move to the N19/W21 panel. I am now moving right to left and top to bottom as I did until about a year ago when I switched to moving North, South, East or West depending on the suit drawn.

The card also instructed me to make a new 1/16 scale page, and I have done that. Then I added seventeen 1-inch square collage pieces emanating from the red-circled crosshairs near the upper right of the panel. The instruction to do a 1" paint band was ignored since the entire sheet has already been painted.