The sun peeks through the old factory windows of Kyle Sidlik’s studio. His small laser engraver, the “ornament machine” as he calls it, hums along, carving out 12 more ornaments for the festival season. “It’s called ‘map art,’” Sidlik explained. “Some people make maps out of wood, some people do drawings. People will find open maps and frame them, that kind of stuff.” For Sidlik he makes bathymetry maps, which highlight the layers of the ocean floor.
Sidlik’s business, Coastal Carve Engravings, is a passion project. “I love woodworking. I’ve been making cutting boards, making small furniture in the house, I did a lot of turning bowls out of wood. It was just kind of a hobby. And I also love maps. I think maps are just very cool, interesting to look at. I catch myself on Google Maps just looking at different areas out of curiosity.”
Kyle Sidlik has also spent time as a filmmaker and video producer. Making maps, he says, is just another way to tell a story. “Some maps tell a story about the ocean floor. A lot of customers tell me they buy maps because of what it means or represents to them.” Many laser engraving companies will make maps of more common areas, like Block Island or Cape Cod. “I’m looking for smaller bays and stuff that people have a good, personal connection with, or something they don’t see represented. My Prudence Island map is one of the more popular ones. There’s a lot of history there and a lot of family connections, but they don’t see that represented often (by other map makers).”
Coastal Carve Engravings’ most famous, or infamous, map is one that most every Rhode Islander can connect with. “I was at home designing and the Washington Bridge was shut down. And on the news, they had the map of the detour and I was like ‘oh, how funny would it be to have an ornament of that detour map?’ So I did it that night. Went to the studio here, made that ornament, and posted it online.” The ornament went viral in the region shortly thereafter, even going so far as to reaching the mayor of East Providence, Bob da Silva and RIDOT director Peter Alviti. “I think Rhode Islanders have a good sense of humor, and it’s just a nice little memory. Something to laugh about a couple years down the road from now, hopefully.”
As Sidlik’s “ornament machine” finishes carving out the 12th detour map ornament, Kyle is busy preparing his next map – a custom map for a couple getting married on the island of Maui. “I’ll put a little heart where they’re getting married on the beach. So I’ll be cutting it on my laser, the big guys. Once it’s cut, I’ll stain it. I’ll do a glue-up of it, so I’ll put different spacers in there and make a sort of 3-D puzzle. Then I’ll put it in its shadow box frame.” Of all the steps, it’s the final step that seems the most daunting. “I hate puzzles,” Kyle told us.
Like most art, Kyle Sidlik describes what he does as a labor of love. The work is tedious. Maps are carved out during the day, but designed on his laptop at night. As a small local artist, Sidlik left us with one last message: “If you go to a local store or local gift shop and you see something that’s locally made, just know that you’re supporting two businesses. You’re supporting that retailer, and you’re also supporting the artist who made it. So you got a double whammy there. And they’re people in your community.”
