Flying in for a landing, LeoLakes Maps

I add waterfowl to most of my decor maps. Normally, I place three Canadian geese somewhere cruising to the water, low and preparing to land.
My objective is to have them almost seem to float over the terrain. I also add a Great Blue Heron, Geese, Osprey, Sea Gulls, Pelicans etc... depending on the location of the body of water.

On canvas maps, after printing, I actually (touch-up) hand paint the waterfowl to make them pop and give the map an original painting effect. These details help sets Leo Lakes maps apart from others and give that personal touch. My ultimate goal is to provide a decor map that will become a treasured map. Remember: Life is short, get away from the big screen and get on a big stream, or at least put one on the wall!



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Norfork Lake Map Painting

Just finished a large print of beautiful Norfork Lake, which is located in Arkansas on the North Fork River. I always add waterfowl flying over with shadows, which makes it appear 3-D. Also, on canvas printed maps, I touch up the waterfowl and others areas with paint to bring out the image.

Normally, I add a vintage plane flying over and if you look close you may see a mermaid or fish in the waters.

Here's the end result. This is the traditional style map and I also do a more creative style. It's difficult to show the detail and color on the internet. I try to have the golden colors come through like a crackling fire. Can you feel the warmth?

I hid a tiny mermaid/fish in the waters and folks love to search for her. I call my maps treasured maps because most folks have that special body of water that they treasure, like Norfork Lake. These maps make great gifts for the lake house owner, lake lover, or fisherman. I have over two hundred on my website that can be purchased right from the site, or I can do custom and personalizes lake, river or bay maps, too. If you would like to see more and read about my treasured maps go to LeoLakes.com. 

A Musical Lake

What is lake music? Well, there is a lake near Music City (Nashville) that has a long history of lake music. There must be music in the waters because many, many country music stars and song writers live on or near the lake. Stars like Johnny Cash lived on the lake, Taylor Swift lived near the lake while going to high school and this is just to name a few.  The lake didn't create the stars, but it certainly seems to have helped. It must be those foggy mornings with a blue heron flying over and the sun just rising over the water that is a catalyst for great songs and music.  I just finished this beautiful art decor map of Old Hickory Lake the “Music Lake”. 

The lake is actually named after Andrew Jackson “Old Hickory” the 7^th president of the United States, but could have just as well been called the music lake. In fact, I hide a musical note in the waters to emphasis the lake’s music heritage. The lake is printed on canvas from a watercolor painting and the waterfowl is hand painted.

I don't hide snapping turtles, but I do hide a tiny mermaid/fish in the waters of all my lake map paintings that folks love to search for. I call my maps treasured maps because most folks have that special body of water that they treasure. These maps make great gifts for the lake house owner, lake lover, or fisherman. I have over two hundred on my website that can be purchased right from the site, or I can do custom and personalizes lake, river or bay maps, too. If you would like to see more and read about my treasured maps go to LeoMaps.com. 
 

"Life is short, reduce screen time and increase stream time, get on a big stream."

Red shouldered hawk!

Yesterday there was a huge disturbance in the ten acre woods. Lots of rustling, scurrying, and barking by the neighbors, the squirrels. What was causing all of this uproar? I'm not sure, but just before I ran into the house to get the camera, silence came over the ten acre woods. You could hear an acorn drop. Hmmm... what's going on? After retrieving my camera, I scanned the trees to see if I might see what was causing the ruckus.  

Finally, buried behind a lot of twigs and branches, I discovered a hawk. No double about it, this hawk is looking for a meal with the main course being a bushy tail. Looking through the camera it was hard to determine the hawk's species.

After transferring the photos to my laptop, I was able to identify the hawk. It was a Red Shouldered Hawk, which is common in this area.

Normally, we have an abundance of squirrels, but on occasion they all disappear, thanks to the Great Horned Owl, Red Tail Hawk and Red Shouldered Hawk.  

Vintage Style Maps of rivers, lakes and bays.

I just completed this treasured map of Lewis Smith Lake in Alabama. It's a large 2 feet x 4 feet and printed on  canvas.  

My goal is for the map to almost glow. 

I hide things in the waters of the river, lake or bay.

On canvas prints, I come back and hand paint the waterfowl to make them pop and to appear as if they float over the map. I just noticed in this photo that if you look closely you may find something swimming in the water.

I don't hide snapping turtles, but I do hide a tiny mermaid/fish in the waters of all my lake map paintings that folks love to search for. I call my maps treasured maps because most folks have that special body of water that they treasure. These maps make great gifts for the lake house owner, lake lover, or fisherman. I have over two hundred on my website that can be purchased right from the site, or I can do custom and personalizes lake, river or bay maps, too. If you would like to see more and read about my treasured maps go to LeoMaps.com. 
 

As you can see, my maps make a great gift. To see more of my work click above.

Remember: Get away from the big screen and get on a big stream, if not, put one on the wall."

leomaps.com