A Furry Hoppy Two Ears

...That was my attempt at a poor new years joke involving rabbits. I reckon I succeeded. In the poorness, I mean.

A long awaited hello to all!

When I left to see the country at the start of September, I had no idea how my trip was going to turn out, or really even how long it would last. It's amusing, now, to think back to the beginning—driving again for the first time in years, camping and hiking for the first time ever, and slowly getting used to the solitude—and know how little I had seen of what I was soon going to. 

Each of the three months I traveled feel like almost entirely different trips: split between the North, the Deep South, and the South West; the accents, the landscape, and the food. It was truly an experience of an "endless summer," and of a never ending sense of freedom on the open road (the cliche is in fact still alarmingly accurate). While, in reality, it was a brilliantly radiant endless autumn, as I followed the fair weather and changing foliage for the entire 13,000 miles. Most importantly, I had the luxury of time, so I chose to stay entirely off the interstate and see the country from the inside—a decision I will be grateful for for the rest of my life.

In the end, I traveled for a total of one hundred days: through two countries and thirty-one states; through two family trees; through a (narrowly avoided) hurricane; through a presidential campaign and election; through every song ever played on public radio; and through every thought that ever popped into my head.

 

 

    

Now that I am back in (mostly) one place, I've been working on getting Warren Tales up and hopping on its new coast. Over the next six months I will be focusing on: purchasing a new design studio; developing a website; designing and producing a new streamlined catalog line; and working on bolstering a wholesale presence within some brick-and-mortar stores.

Being in a period of "construction" makes it difficult (right now) to do many of the digitally-based design components that I have utilized for the last year or two, but it does give me the opportunity to experiment, and develop some handmade products. For example, my two new map cuts!

An homage to the beautiful Coronado, California

And the wonderful Muswell Hill, London

After my work with the Boston scene for Small City, I was so happy to do more paper cutting, and especially for two more places I love. The Coronado cut is made with fine rice paper and measures 18 x 24", fitting in a standard frame size, and the Muswell Hill cut (8 x 14") is made with upcycled paper and highlights the many parks and train lines of the Northern London neighborhood.

I look forward to doing more and bigger cuts in the future, and hope I get a chance to make many more people happy by bringing their favorite and home towns to life.

Happy new year everyone, from one great adventure to the next!