From Concept to Keepsake: Our Creative Process

Have you ever wondered how artist Wendy Gold finds inspiration for the art that she creates?
Over the years, artist Wendy Gold has been inspired from many different sources when creating her vast collection of collage map art, vintage globe art, personalized push pin travel maps and custom handmade push pin globes. This includes her love of vintage maps and globes, experiences and travels with her family and friends, shopping at flea markets, being unable to find the perfect wedding gift, and even customers asking her to create a special and unique gift. Here is a look at some of the ways Wendy Gold is inspired to create her artwork and products.

Inspiration can come when you least expect it (Especially when you're at a flea market).
Ever since she was a young girl, Wendy has been fascinated with globes and maps. One day while searching her favorite flea market, she stumbled upon a vintage globe, which was the most beautiful globe she had ever seen. As she spun the globe around with her finger tips, she experienced what can only be described as a flash of inspiration to embellish the globe. She immediately purchased the globe, collaged it with ephemera, and found that this single globe (bon voyage theme) became the catalyst for Wendy Gold to start her company back in 2010.

Inspiration can come from spending time with family, friends and travels.
So much of Wendy’s inspiration for her custom push pin maps emanates from time she spent traveling with her father on road trips across the USA, visits to National Parks, winter snow skiing, and scuba diving in Florida and Mexico. These experiences inspired her to create her National Parks Push Pin Travel Map, and Top US Ski Resorts and Scuba Diving Maps.

Even walking her dog Marty on early mornings in the hills of Marin County, filled with bright orange poppies and golden light from the California sun, directly inspired her to create Vintage California Collage Map Art. This work of art was chosen for the decor of a prestigious restaurant in Paris that specializes in California cuisine. 

Creating your own gift for a friend, because you can’t find the perfect gift
When Wendy couldn’t find the perfect wedding gift for her friend and husband who loved to travel, she was motivated to create her own wedding gift that they could use and enjoy their entire lives together to track their travels. The result was the creation of Wendy Gold’s personalized Wedding Anniversary Push Pin World Map, which has become the go to anniversary gift for couples who love to travel. This map is sold all over the world in multiple languages, was customized to be used as a marriage proposal, and was recently featured in HGTV’s article “Best Anniversary Gifts based on Tradition”. To read the article <click here>

Inspiration from Customer Experiences & Passions
Customer experiences and passions have inspired many of our designs and artwork. When a woman sailed around the world, she wanted something to commemorate her extensive voyage and asked for Wendy’s help. Wendy created a custom design that plotted her route around the world via Google maps on an actual globe, which became an artistic keepsake she could proudly display in her home, telling the story of her voyage.

Inspiration has also come from Wendy’s customers who have asked her to specifically create a unique gift tailored to a hobby or favorite sport of someone special in their life. The customer who asked her to create a unique gift for her husband who is obsessed with riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle, resulted in Wendy creating a personalized Motorcycle themed push pin travel map for this client.

Stepping into 2024 - Your Stories, our Canvas.
As we step into the blank canvas of 2024, artist Wendy Gold is once again focusing on finding inspiration for new works of map art and globes, and is very excited to be working on new projects that will be introduced later in the year.

Your experiences and passions have already inspired many of our designs and we are excited to continue this journey with you. Customer feedback and requests have always been a beacon of inspiration for artist Wendy Gold, and we invite you to share your insights on the themes that resonate most with your passions. What would you like to see more of reflected in this year’s endeavors? Whether it’s memories from your epic adventures, cityscapes you adore, or dreamy destinations, your stories can and have inspired our unique cartographic explorations. From nature’s beauty to fantasy escapes, your imaginative ideas have always helped light the spark for us to create captivating works of art.

Feel free to send Wendy Gold any of your insights or unique ideas to her at info@wendygold.com or post your comments on this blog article. Thank you for being a vital part of Wendy Gold Studios creative tapestry.