Traveler Journals

I've always been fascinated by ancient cartography and by how our ancestors perceived and mapped their world. During the years I have created a few journals on this theme but lately I've been drawn to it more than ever and, inspired by the originality of the ancient maps and by the talent and patience of the artists who made them, I took the hand painting details on my leather covers to the next level. It is worth mentioning that all these journal are sold. They were one of a kind, I receive many requests to reproduce my previous work but I feel this would be quite impossible since the process is so labor intensive and hard to repeat. Also, the possibilities are infinite and as an artist with *hopefully* unlimited creativity I feel much more compelled to create something different and unique every time.

The Alchemist (2014)

Hand painted, an intriguing scene reminding of a worn ancient map is depicted on the front cover and a symbolic labyrinth on the back cover. This was inspired by several old maps and the antique patina is giving it the unique appearance of a tome found in a secret library. This journal was created in collaboration with the Romanian artist Adrian Borda. 

World Travel (2014)

Bound in natural goat leather this journal was painted by hand with motifs related to travel, depicting on its cover a medieval image of the world map. It is completed by writings and historic symbols such as figures of animals and ships. The decoration tells an entire story filled with meanings. This journal was created in collaboration with the Romanian artist Adrian Borda. 

The Story of Writing (I) (2016)

This journal features the motif of writing, having represented on the cover a symbolic story of how the writing came into existence and the different calligraphic styles. The letters of the alphabet are stamped into the leather one by one. The central image tells the story of writing on the world's map filled with symbols and meanings.

Mundo Segredo (2020)

This book was  tooled and painted by hand. It depicts an original drawing that I created and that depicts a fantasy world with antique maps and symbols. I wanted it to reflect the images and thoughts that exist in one's mind, sometimes crowded, sometimes organized, some that make sense and others that don't. Symbols, secrets, history, memories, all present in our minds. The title "Secret World" refers to the personal writings of a journal's owner, thoughts that may be exactly like that, comprising of a multitude of feelings, emotions and ideas. This book was made as a work in progress which will only be finished once it is filled with your writing.

The Traveler (2023)

This blank book is bound in natural goat leather, stamped, tooled and painted by hand in great detail. The decoration is depicting a fictional double hemisphere map of the world inspired by a drawing from1594 by Petrus Plancius. This map has incredible and very detailed elements and contains some fascinating facts as the presence of the Magallanica, sive Terra Australis Incognita: ‘Magellan’s Land, a.k.a. the Unknown Southern Land’, a mythical, nonexistent location that was discovered by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. 

The Story of Writing (II) (2023)

This blank book is bound in natural goat leather, stamped, tooled and painted by hand in great detail. The decoration is depincting a symbolic story of how writing came into existence and the different calligraphic styles placed on the map. The image as well as the concept are inspired by the book The Story of Writing by Donald Jackson. 

Carta Marina (2024)