Topographical Maps

Most carved maps are shaped by eye. Mine are cut from official USGS 3D elevation data, so every ridge, valley and shoreline is exactly where it really is — the same elevation models the survey maps are built from, carved into wood at full three-dimensional relief.

They're built from premium woods like Koa, Milo, Mango and Monkeypod. Koa is the prized Hawaiian hardwood — it grows only here, it's getting harder to come by every year, and the curl in the grain moves as you walk past it. On many pieces a small brass pin marks the exact spot where the tree that piece was cut from actually grew.

Some pieces keep going below the waterline. On those the sea floor is carved to accurate bathymetry and filled with epoxy, so it reads as water while the real depth sits underneath. It shows you at a glance why the humpbacks come here — the basin between Maui, Molokai, Lanai and Kahoolawe is strikingly shallow and sheltered on every side, which is exactly what they want for calving.

Some pieces keep going below the waterline. On those the sea floor is carved to accurate bathymetry and filled with epoxy, so it reads as water while the real depth sits underneath. It shows you at a glance why the humpbacks come here — the basin between Maui, Molokai, Lanai and Kahoolawe is strikingly shallow and sheltered on every side, which is exactly what they want for calving.

Any place can be mapped. If there's a mountain, a stretch of coastline, a hiking area, a campsite or a vacation spot that means something to you, I can carve it — anywhere the elevation data exists, which is very nearly everywhere. Past commissions have covered islands, national parks, single peaks and the trails people walk every weekend.