Cartography - Stage 1

Cartography - Stage 1 - This has been playing in my mind for some time and just decided to get on with it. The 3 x 3 grid was already lay down for another picture, the graph paper was first and I was using a page from Pericles - where the hero was placed in a chest and put on the sea.

This idea of the lone helmsman on his own in a story, back to the Dreams of Deucalion ideas. The framing an image within its own frame, then again with border and finally the wooden frame. Again working with the book of hours and watching that change. I wanted to do something that would have a wider effect in combination.

Stacked away in a cupboard are some books waiting to be used. They are very old, discredited (?) books - Dictionary of Architecture, Geography, Guide to London, Old A-Z London atlas in Black and White. At the RAA summer exhibition, I saw a picture that was on graph paper with the archaeological dig drawing in an area of white paper (not graph). So using graph paper has been in the back of the mind.

By messing around with some titles, I came across one called The Mariner's Tale - a reference to Chaucer and Powell & Pressburger film, The Canterbury Tale as well. I might have mentioned how the Nave of a church came from a nautical term. Further thinking might me think of the village church, St Nicolas - the Saint from whom Saint Nick/Santa Claus/Father Christmas comes from. The idea of the a church as a ship on a sea of green in Surrey, which is a land locked county. Taking bits of places, words, drawing and putting them on the graph in a random order.

Trying to avoid being too specific and structured. I decided to just dive on in. Started with the central part. I was going to have the page at an angle, but instead I tore the page up down the sides and in thirds. Laid them out randomly and then framed with a heavy line.

I like the idea of a torn page and took the graph paper apart. Finding some old images, I wanted to use somewhere. I cut them out and added them in. I started to copy one in the corner, this led to the pine cones that I have collected as random seeds scattered on the paths or roads. This develop into the idea of cutting a hole into the page of the London guide. Should I put on squares from the London A-Z?

I preferred the idea to draw a round pine cone into the space. Then I went to down to bring in some other pine cones in and draw them into some of the area. Besides the pine cones, I have brought in the stone, another random object that I found, but it is split in half like a peach with a white rim.

Further drawing required.