Artist is out to find exact spots of his grandma's 6,000 field sketches. He’s found 20; 5980 to go

Most people tuck family heirlooms away in a closet or display them on a shelf, dusting them off once in a while for nostalgia. But when Max Romey (@trailboundsketches) inherited his grandmother Lu's sketchbooks with over 6,000 drawings, he couldn't leave them on a shelf. A dyslexic painter who learned to see the world through art, Romey packed his bags to physically retrace her steps across the globe. He matches her vintage, unnamed watercolor sketches against massive landscapes. It is grueling, slow work. Out of 6,000, he's only been able to track down 20 so far, but he continues to make progress. He recently posted a video on September 11, 2026, that garnered nearly 16,000 likes. 

An unlikely childhood bond

Growing up with dyslexia, Romey struggled with words and traditional learning until his grandmother Lu showed him the power of a sketchbook. She painted her way through life, capturing the places she explored and sharing that creative world with him. "Watercolors and sketching became my refuge and a way to share an idea without someone telling me I misspelled it," he recalls. Her quick, vibrant outdoor studies gave him a visual language of his own and sparked a lifelong desire to follow in her footsteps. 

Inheriting a massive archive

Lu spent decades wandering the globe. From Norway to France to even Antarctica, wherever she went, Lu carried her sketchbook. "She traveled all over the world, making these wonderful little sketches that she would fill in later on," he said. When she passed away, she left behind a staggering archive of over 6,000 drawings. Flipping through the massive stack of unnamed pages, Romey realized that he did not just want to keep the books on a shelf; he wanted to live the journeys behind them. So, he came up with an idea.

Following her footsteps

Romey packed his bags and set out on the hunt to find these locations. "I've wanted to retrace her steps and track down these drawings for a long time," he noted. Toward the end of her life, Romey's grandmother was diagnosed with dementia, so this is his way of remembering her and her experiences. Now a father himself, Romey hopes his son will one day find the same joy in his sketchbooks and films that he found in his grandmother’s.

Asking the world for help

Romey began sharing videos of the drawings and the landscapes he was trying to match them to, inviting others to help identify the locations. Romey began filming the weathered drawings against expansive horizons and sharing them online. So far he'd found 20 odd locations with thousands more to go. While it won't be easy, with every video Romey is gathering more and more attention for his mission. Hopefully, he'll be able to visit all the places one day. Meanwhile, he continues to share his stories on social media as well as through a newsletter. 

Removing the stigma

For Romey, sketching became a way to express himself when reading and spelling were difficult, and his grandmother’s paintings remain a source of comfort. The National Center for Learning Disabilities' 2016–2017 annual report estimated that 1 in 5 U.S. children had learning and attention issues, such as dyslexia or ADHD. It also reported that 33% of educators believed that what people called a learning disability was sometimes merely laziness, while 48% of parents incorrectly believed children would outgrow these conditions. These older findings highlight the misconceptions surrounding learning differences.

This is a quest worthy of time

Romey's story struck a chord with the people as they took to the comments to express these emotions. @guitca commented, "If this was a book, I would most definitely cry." At the same time, @ipaintbirbs noted, "Love being on this journey with you!!! I have a feeling this epic and beautiful quest you are on will lead our paths to cross someday soon!!!!"

Follow Max Romey (@trailboundssketches) for more travel content. 

More on Scoop Upworthy

High schooler with no friends paints portraits of all 44 peers and it changed their outlook on life

Son's question to Gemini turned mom's $100 thrift store painting from 1960 into a $254,000 windfall

Why this 19th-century painting of two lovers' final goodbye is only displayed 2 hours a week