Come with me as we journey through the Great Plains of Kansas. Too boring, you say. Too flat. Well, as a pictorial map illustrator I love a challenge. And here, the directive was clear: make this a fun and entertaining visual representation with broad appeal. Even Toto would agree, this map of Kansas looks like it could be a pretty entertaining road trip.In this illustration, created for the 2009-2010 Kansas Official Visitors Guide, Interstate Highway 70 runs a east/west route roughly through the center of the state. Geared to families traveling through the heartland, the map showcases plenty of tourist attractions across the land. OK everybody, it's time to get in the car.
Beginning in the east, where Kansas borders Missouri along the banks of the Mississippi River, our first stop is Topeka, capital of the state. Now the client had requested that certain towns in Kansas needed to be highlighted with an illustration. In the case of Topeka, the capital shape looks like many other typical, bland/grand capital buildings across the country. Hmm, how to distinguish it, I wondered. Then I saw him. Balancing atop the dome, in all his bronze glory is the famous sculpture named "Ad Astra", meaning "to the stars". Depicting a Kansa Native American hunter, Ad Astra stands tall with his bow and arrow aimed toward the North Star. Created by Kansas artist Richard Bergen, the image of this unique sculpture is just what I needed to distinguish my depiction of the capital.
On to our next stop, Wamego, just north of I-70. For many, especially any little munchkins along for the ride, this just might be the favorite destination on our road trip. Home to the Oz Museum, this place celebrates all aspects of the famous book and movie. My favorite character has always been The Tin Woodsman, so here was my opportunity to pay homage to this silvery star of the silver screen.
Just west of Wamego, in Manhattan, we encounter what may be an attraction to some and a place to be avoided at all costs by others. In any case, The Insect Zoo, at Kansas State University, is a creepy crawly place...literally. Here you can "enjoy", so to speak, hands-on displays of preserved, live and fossil insects.
Moving right along, The Zoo at Rolling Hills is our next destinat
ion. Located in Salina, just south of I-70, many wild animals that are listed as threatened or endangered in their native habitats can be viewed here. Check out the orangutans, giraffes and giant anteaters. Tigers, with their bold contrasting markings have always looked beautiful to me, so of course I had to feature this remarkable animal in my illustration. And besides, they may be wild, but they seem ever so much more cuddly that a red leaf cutter ant from the Insect Zoo.Our next stop is bound to be one of the most strange and eerie yet compelling bits of Americana we will witness
on our journey. The Garden of Eden, in Lucas, is a limestone Cabin Home surrounded by fantastical sculptures of all kinds. Biblical scenes, angels, devils, soldiers, Indians, animals and many other distorted figures and objects are depicted in this wild array of artistic expression dating from the early 1900s. Somehow, the sculptural figures of a man and woman with an American flag caught my eye, and they became the focus for this destination's illustration.Moving ever westward, we arrive in Hays, home of The Frontier Park. Now I don't know for sure if the deer and the antelope play here, but the buffalo definitely do roam here. The park has maintained a herd of the critters h
ere for more than 40 years. Well, as buffalo are the main attraction here, my job of choosing a subject matter was pretty well predetermined, but I couldn't resist adding in a few prairie dogs for good measure. Whatever one thinks of prairie dogs, they certainly have a "cuteness" factor and a charm that is hard to deny.
OK, so what are you getting me for Christmas this year? Well, if we're making this trip anytime between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day, in WaKeeny, it is always December 25th. Billing itself as the "Christmas City of the High Plains", this town goes all out to decorate itself from top to bottom with twinkling lights, decorated trees and an abundance of holiday cheer. Speaking of cheer, one of Santa's ubiquitous elves seems like the perfect little symbol for this ode to all things Christmas.
Our final stop in in Goodland. Now just imagine, we're driving along, it's a warm summer day, the flat landscape is filled with sunflowers waving in the breeze, and all at once, literally out of the blue, we encounter a giant, and I mean giant, artist's easel displaying a huge reproduction of Van Gough's famous Sunflowers painting. At 80 feet high, you will definitely not miss this stunning landmark. And of course, nothing could be a more fitting tribute to the Sunflower State.
I hope you have enjoyed our road trip across Kansas. Before we part ways I want to point out a few of the elements I incorporated into the border of the map. No trip to Kansas would be complete without a nod to the seemingly endless array of windmills marching across the landscape. Native American tipis, beadwork designs and arrowheads, cowboy hats and boots are all
a part of the history of Kansas. And the Golden Eagle, sheaves of wheat, elk and and even the Kansas state bird, the Western Meadowlark make an appearance among the sunflowers. I look forward to seeing you on our next map tour.
