Whales, wolves and winged creatures, oh my! Skirting the line between sinister and sweet, D.C. Ice’s furry critters often take on darker human emotions in her work (whether that’s on a gallery wall or in a children’s book). Here she lends her quirky illustration style to a map of St. Paul. See the city come to life in this original work.

Navigate: For D.C. Ice, St. Paul is a divided city. In the east lies a former life lost after the artist went through heartbreak. But in the west her future awaits, and she’s got nothing but love for that side of the city.

It’s where she got her degree in illustration from The College of Visual Arts, and where she launched her professional career with the help of AZ Gallery. There’s the cathedral where she used to go work on drawing assignments for class, her favorite clothing store where she gets inspiration and of course, Sweeney’s Saloon.

“My friends and I would all go there after class [during] college. Now, I just turned 34 and my friend had a surprise birthday party for me at Sweeney’s,” D.C. Ice said. “That little bar is important to me too.”

While St. Paul is marked with memories of the past, D.C. Ice hopes it will also be where the next stage of her journey unfolds. One aspiration? To show her work at The Grand Hand Gallery.

“If I could keep doing what I’m doing today, then I’ll be happy forever,” she said. “I’ll just be really blessed if I can keep doing what I’m doing for the rest of my life.”