I use traditional techniques of pen-and-ink, mechanical lettering, and coloring with colored charcoal to create original maps by hand.

People are surprised to learn that I make the maps by hand. I learned my craft from a renowned cartographer who taught this method, and I have continued it ever since. As with any other hand-made work, each piece is unique, and carries the mark of the maker. The nuances incorporated into each map are unattainable with a computer, and endow each map with personality and character. This gives an artistic spirit to my maps. Besides the detailed information that each map provides, the artistic nature of the map makes it attractive to people and yields a piece that is fit for display in one’s home or place of business.

I enjoy this methodical and detailed process for making maps. I am an ophthalmologist and I liken my mapmaking to ophthalmic surgery. Both are dependent on fine motor skills, require patience, and are unforgiving of mistakes. Also, I find the creative process to be satisfying; it is gratifying when people enjoy my maps.

Van English, former Professor of Geography at Dartmouth College, taught me. He was a world-renowned cartographer who was the personal cartographer for General George Marshall, US Army Chief of Staff, in World War II. Professor English offered a course in cartography, which I took. The course included a didactic section in which he taught the history of mapping, principles of projection, and general knowledge of maps. In the studio section, he taught us mapmaking techniques and gave us the opportunity to make maps ourselves. My final course project was a map of my European and Middle Eastern travels undertaken during my junior year.