I've always been fascinated by all things ancient, not explained, mysterious....including old maps. When I was little I would avidly watch a television show called "in Search of..." They tackled many mysteries, such as the Bermuda Triangle, the Nazca Lines, Bigfoot, many times without reaching an answer. I was captivated. It led me to a sense of awe and a brief experience, I guess, of a deeper sense of Awe that I would tap into in later life. I would fall asleep to a sense of deep wonder. To my youthful way of thinking, I could not figure out why these mysteries were not front page news, instead of the jarring crime and other things that were covered nightly. I'd much rather dream of ancient sunken cities and to wonder about people that used to exist. How did those pyramids get built? and why are they found all over the globe, and in alignment with certain star patterns?

Today while lingering at Sky Harbor Airport, I came across the work of an artist that blends two of my favorite and inspiring things: picture of the west, natural and raw, and maps. Termed cartography, Deborah Springstead Ford has managed to create the same type of awe I felt as a child as she blends magic and mainstream in her artwork. The link to the photos can be found here: http://aridjournal.com/cartography-and-the-cultural-terrain-deborah-springstead-ford/