I make maps. Quite simply, I always have. My fascination with maps began in childhood and never faded. While many childhood ambitions drift with time, mine only grew stronger. From an early age I knew that making maps was not merely something I enjoyed—it was the career I wanted to pursue. Through persistence, careful planning, and a great deal of dedication, I was fortunate enough to turn that childhood fascination into a lifelong profession.

For more than twenty-five years I have supported myself entirely through projects that involve maps in some way. My professional philosophy has always been simple: if a project contains even a single map, I am interested. Whether creating an artwork, designing an entire publication, contributing to an application, or developing a larger visual product, the presence of a map is what draws me in. From simple locator maps to richly illustrated cartographic works, I approach each one as a piece of art. For me, maps are not merely informational graphics—they are visual stories about place. In the truest sense, maps are art.

In 2000 I received my Bachelor of Fine Arts from Emily Carr University of Art & Design in Vancouver, Canada. Shortly after graduating I accepted a one-year teaching position in Bangkok, Thailand at Udomsuksa School Lat Phrao, where I taught both art and English. When that contract concluded, the friendships and professional connections I had made in Bangkok opened unexpected doors into freelance graphic design. Those early opportunities gradually led me deeper into the world of publishing and eventually to Media TransAsia Thailand, the country’s largest contract publisher.

At Media TransAsia I spent nearly two years working alongside Thai artists in a lively, fast-paced editorial environment, often conducting the day’s work primarily in the Thai language. During this period I contributed to the layout and design of more than ten major magazine titles, including PATA Compass, the official publication of the Pacific Asia Travel Association. Each issue required numerous maps, and it was here that my identity as a professional cartographer truly took shape.

In 2004 an online job advertisement from Discovery Map International brought me back to the United States. For nearly two years I collaborated with more than twenty franchisees creating their well-known cartoon-style bird’s-eye-view tourist maps. While the experience provided invaluable insight into project management and production workflows, I gradually found myself longing to create a different type of map—maps that were less tied to advertising and more rooted in geography, storytelling, and design.

After leaving Discovery Map I began working independently as a freelance cartographic artist. Since then my career has taken me between Thailand and the United States, allowing me to live and work in both cultures and travel to locations around the world to make maps for clients big and small. In total I have spent nearly eighteen of the past 25 years in Thailand, learning the language, navigating the complexities of life abroad, and immersing myself deeply in the region’s culture. Thailand has provided an affordable and inspiring environment that allowed me to devote myself fully to building a global mapmaking practice. Currently I am residing and working in Washington State.

Since 2000 I have created thousands of maps for clients around the world. My work spans a wide variety of subjects, but a significant portion has focused on historical cartography. I have produced maps for more than 120 published books, most notably within the field of military history, including extensive collaborations with Big Sky Publishing in Sydney, Australia.

Today I continue to pursue the craft that first captivated me as a child. I live in Seattle, Washington, where I remain dedicated to the art and discipline of mapmaking—creating maps that are not only accurate and informative, but also expressive works of visual storytelling.