Cartography Baseball T-Shirts

The Fairfax District is a neighborhood in Los Angeles's Midtown region. It has long been a center of Jewish Angeleno culture although today Fairfax Avenue hosts an odd mixture of established Jewish businesses and newer streetwear boutiques. I explored for my series, "California Fool's Gold," in 2011. https://ericbrightwell.com/2011/05/10/california-fools-gold-exploring-fairfax/

San Gabriel is a suburban city in the San Gabriel Valley. The majority of its populace are foreign-born -- mostly in Vietnam and China -- lead to it's affectionately being nicknamed "Chan Gabriel." Its official name is derived from Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, a Spanish mission built in 1776. I explored it for my series, "California Fool's Gold," in 2011. https://ericbrightwell.com/2011/11/10/california-fools-gold-exploring-san-gabriel-a-city-with-a-mission/

A silhouette of a WWII bomber plane cut from a vintage map of Europe

Lake Chapala Mexico map

Filicudi Sicily italian island map

Connemara National Park Ireland beautiful old vintage style travel poster.

I painted this map of Elysian Heights for a show I called "Taste of the Mideast Side" in which I exhibited maps of various neighborhoods in the Mideast Los Angeles region. The gray cat in the compass rose is "Room 8" -- an internet celebrity cat who was world-famous before there was an internet.

I made this watercolor map of Monterey Hills, in Northeast Los Angeles, in 2013. I was accompanied by a now-deceased dog, Dooley, with whom I was charged with going on walks. The map and piece were included in my series, "California Fool's Gold." https://ericbrightwell.com/2013/12/12/running-up-that-hill-exploring-monterey-hills-at-the-amoeblog/

hoi an Vietnam travel poster.

A cat's map of the bed in vintage seventies style colors and typography.

County Clare The Burren Ireland travel poster

Kelleys Island Ohio beautiful vintage style map.

An oil paint map of Miracle Mile that I did on commission. It was actually my first map pointed with oils -- in honor of the tar beneath the region.

Cypress Park is a neighborhood in Los Angeles's Eastside. It's the birthplace of King Taco and El Atacor. I explored for my series, "California Fool's Gold," in 2009. https://ericbrightwell.com/2009/07/07/california-fools-gold-exploring-cypress-park/

An ink and correctional fluid map that I made of Hollywood's Little Armenia neighborhood in 2008 for "California Fool's Gold." https://ericbrightwell.com/2008/10/07/california-fools-gold-exploring-little-armenia/

Garvanza is a neighborhood in Northeast Los Angeles. It was this third community to be annexed by Los Angeles, following Sycamore Grove and Highland Park. I explored it, with a dog named Dooley, for my series, "California Fool's Gold," in 2014. https://ericbrightwell.com/2014/01/16/garbanzo-ramble-exploring-the-garvanza-neighborhood/

Sherman Oaks is a mostly-suburban neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley. In the 1980s, it was widely associated with the Valley Girl subculture thanks in large part to the Sherman Oaks Galleria -- which figured into the films "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" and "Valley Girl," the song "Valley Girl," and "Val" culture. I explored it for my series, "California Fool's Gold" in 2010. https://ericbrightwell.com/2010/07/16/california-fools-gold-exploring-sherman-oaks/

Diamond Bar is a community in the San Gabriel Valley. I drew this map of it around 2010.

Hoover Dam Nevada Arizona retro map.

Botswana map retro style travel poster

El Monte is a suburban city located in the middle of the San Gabriel Valley. It's something of a transit hub, with that valley's only private airport and the largest bus station in the west. I explored it for my series, "California Fool's Gold," in 2013. https://ericbrightwell.com/2013/01/23/california-fools-gold-exploring-el-monte-the-end-of-the-santa-fe-trail-or-at-least-some-trails/

Holland cartoon map

An ink map of Koreatown I made for "California Fool's Gold" in 2010. For Los Angeles's most densely-populated neighborhood, I decided to go more minimal in a nod to Korean graphic design. https://ericbrightwell.com/2010/05/17/california-fools-gold-exploring-koreatown-%EC%BD%94%EB%A6%AC%EC%95%84%ED%83%80%EC%9A%B4/

My watercolor and oil paint map of the Hawaiʻian islands, with their indigenous names (sorry "Midway"!) From my series, "Where Fool's Fear to Tread." https://ericbrightwell.com/2021/06/19/where-fools-fear-to-tread-a-snapshot-of-hawai%ca%bbi-o%ca%bbahu-and-kaua%ca%bbi/

Walnut is a small suburb in the eastern part of the San Gabriel Valley. It is named, I expect, after the Black Walnut, a tree indigenous to Los Angeles. I explored it for my series, "California Fool's Gold," in 2009.

I drew this map for a ramble along a relatively short stretch of San Fernando Road in 2013. It appeared in my series, "Urban Rambles." https://ericbrightwell.com/2013/05/16/from-confluence-to-atwater-exploring-along-san-fernando-road-block-by-block-land-of-sunshine-kcet/

Togo Africa map.

Frogtown (or "Elysian Valley"), is a riparian community in Los Angeles's Mideast region. Its nickname comes from the American Toads which used to thrive there before the channelization of the Los Angeles River. I explored and made this map for my series, "California Fool's Gold," in 2009. https://ericbrightwell.com/2009/06/20/california-fools-gold-exploring-elysian-valley-aka-frogtown/

Illustrated map of the Alps travel poster.

Typographic map of Connecticut. Map is painted with the colors of the state's flag.

An ink map of La Habra, a suburb in North Orange County that I explored for "California Fool's Gold" in 2019. https://ericbrightwell.com/2019/06/02/california-fools-gold-exploring-la-habra/

Apostle Islands National Lakeshore map travel poster.

El Sereno is a neighborhood in Los Angeles's Eastside. I chose the Papyrus font -- which I will never do again because I loathe it -- because it fits with the name, "El Sereno" for several reasons. For one, it's the font used on Joss Whedon's "Serenity." I explored for my series, "California Fool's Gold," in 2012. https://ericbrightwell.com/2012/09/13/california-fools-gold-exploring-el-sereno-last-of-the-independent/

Metro Los Angeles is home to the largest Japanese community in the US and Little Tokyo is the nation's oldest Japantown. I explored and made this map for my series, "California Fool's Gold," in 2010. https://ericbrightwell.com/2010/02/05/california-fools-gold-exploring-little-tokyo-%e5%b0%8f%e6%9d%b1%e4%ba%ac/

Salton Sea California map in a beautiful vintage style.

Rosemead is a suburb of the San Gabriel Valley. It has a large Chinese, Vietnamese, and ethnically Chinese Vietnamese (Hoa) populations. It's notable for its numerous bánh mì joints. I explored it for my series, "California Fool's Gold," in 2008. https://ericbrightwell.com/2008/03/01/848/