An Uncommon Road

The following is a brief art statement on the motivation and relevence behind the work of the piece based on Robert Frost's poem The Road Not Taken for the theme of the January show at Gallery 92 West.

“An Uncommon Road”

Acrylic painting- 24” X 30”

This piece is a commentary on the poem ‘The Road Not Taken’, by Robert Frost, a work of prose that most grade school children are exposed to in their formative years and rightfully so.  It seems to be an appropriate “send off” to the rest of their lives as a sort of cautionary tale that the road you are about to travel on is not only your choice but the road you were destined to follow, being your own journey.  This seems to be the perfect pairing of “cold, hard fate” philosophy versus the empowering, “fate is what you make it to be”. the end, it is an inspirational vignette of words painting a picture of decision.

My acrylic painting is a sort of commentary on the author’s commentary, highlighting the road that Frost alludes to in his poem.  Rather than rendering the two roads, I chose to study that road that he ultimately ends up with in his thoughtful pondering. To me it has always said that as different as all our roads are compared to one another in their unique fingerprint of our lives, they end up where we are intended to be in the end.  This unique road is the road less traveled whatever your choice and whoever you are.  It is a road frought with messy growth on each side with a meandering path leading to the glowing prize at the end of the journey. That prize is the mystery and the wonder of the road getting you there, that I think Frost is talking about here, leading to a place that no one but you will arrive to in your own unique life.

In short, I believe that all of our own roads are uncommon and not taken by anyone else but ourselves. It can be as lonely as it is mysteriously beautiful in its unique destination. 

-Doug Rasmussen~ 11/30/2013