My late childhood / teenage bedroom was a former lounge room in - it had a fireplace and tall bookshelf filled with mostly my Dad’s old books and maps. Those things stayed when it became my bedroom - on the coldest winter nights the fire was lit and I fell asleep to the orange glow and flicker of firelight.
One of my favourite things on the bookshelves were Dad’s old topographic maps. Some were from his motorbiking days and some were from his flying days (he had a pilot’s licence and small plane before I was born). I loved learning that the closer the contour lines, the steeper the slopes, and all the odd names for places and creeks and peaks.
Anyway, I was thinking about how I want to decorate my pottery aside from just straight up dipping / painting in glaze, because I like drawing and detail. And I think I might work towards some cartography inspired decoration. I don’t think Dad’s old maps exist anymore but I did find a collection of similar maps online (for free!) through the State Library of Victoria website. Might need to make a scrapbook of ideas and inspiration.
