Work-In-Progress, Marie Tharp

Ink on Bristol Board

Page from "Soundings" with the strip.

In researching influential people in the various fields of Earth imaging, I learned about cartographer Marie Tharp. Marie and her colleague Bruce Heezen worked together to map the ocean floor throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Marie Tharp discovered the Mid-Atlantic ridge which confirmed the theory of plate tectonics and insured her place in the history books. However, I had never heard of Tharp and maybe you haven't heard of her either. It turns out that she was featured in an episode of the new "Cosmos" as an animated character. There is also a book about her life called, "Soundings" by Hali Felt. Buried in the book is a small reproduction of a photo booth strip taken sometime in the 1970s. I've decided to recreate the strip as a series of drawings. Tharp was publicly recognized late in life and she died in 2006. My hope is that this strip will someday be etched onto a Planet Labs Dove spacecraft and flown in orbit to honor Marie Tharp and her contribution to illuminating the Earth for everyone.

Cleaned up ink work using Illustrator and Manga Studio