THE ROAD NOT TAKEN
A Fine Art Touring Exhibit of Artistic Interpretations of the
Poetry of Robert Frost
I am pleased to be one
of three Derry N.H. artists, along with Ingeborg V. Seaboyer www.derryareaartists.com and Judy
Krassowski www.judykrassowski.com,
participating in “The Road Not Taken”, a fine art, touring exhibit inspired by the poetry
of Robert Frost. This exhibit has been making the rounds of libraries,
community venues, and nature centers throughout the state of New Hampshire for
the past three and one-half years. The presentation features approximately 28
works that reflect a variety of personal interpretations of the most famous as
well as some of the “less traveled” works of one of America’s most inspiring
poets, Robert Frost.
Images in pen and ink, watercolor, acrylics and oils are accompanied by the selected verse which inspired each individual image. Originally the exhibit was created to support the grand re-opening of the Public Library in Derry, NH in September, 2011. Since that time, the exhibit has been continuously touring. Additional scheduling is underway to present The Road Not Taken, with a goal of reaching all of the public libraries in the state.
Prints and some of my originals are available for sale. Pieces range in size from 6”x6” to approximately 24”x30”. Notecards (approx. 5” x 8”) are also available and include an artist statement on the back and a section of the corresponding Frost poem on the left-hand inside of the card.
Images in pen and ink, watercolor, acrylics and oils are accompanied by the selected verse which inspired each individual image. Originally the exhibit was created to support the grand re-opening of the Public Library in Derry, NH in September, 2011. Since that time, the exhibit has been continuously touring. Additional scheduling is underway to present The Road Not Taken, with a goal of reaching all of the public libraries in the state.
Prints and some of my originals are available for sale. Pieces range in size from 6”x6” to approximately 24”x30”. Notecards (approx. 5” x 8”) are also available and include an artist statement on the back and a section of the corresponding Frost poem on the left-hand inside of the card.
Click on artwork to see full size art and info on prices, sizes ,etc.
THE KITCHEN CHIMNEY
…However far you must go for bricks
Whatever they cost a-piece or a pound,
Buy me enough for a full-length chimney,
And build the chimney clear from the ground
Robest Frost
While traveling a number of years ago through Savannah, Georgia, I found myself fascinated with the brickwork of many of the older buildings. The sunlight creating stark contrasts between the lines and angles of the bricks inspired me to paint. One of the resulting paintings, "Chemney Fern", reminded me of Frost's poem "The Kitchen Chimney".
Because I felt it was a good accompaniment to the poem, I decided to include it in thexhibit in celebrations of the Derry Public Library in 2011.
BLUEBERRIES
…“Blueberries as big as the end of your thumb,
Real sky-blue, and heavy, and ready to drum
In the cavernous pail of the first one to come!
And all ripe together, not some of them green
And some of them ripe! You ought to have seen!”…
Robert Frost
Somehow I missed reading this Frost poem, “Blueberries” during my school years. I was delighted to find it when I did research for the Road Not Taken Art Exhibit in celebration of the 2011 reopening of the Derry Public Library. Frost’s line about the sound of ripe blueberries drumming in the empty pail instantly brought back wonderful memories of delightful childhood searches for the best blueberry patches. What a treat it was to find a big patch of blueberries, free for the taking. I knew that if I picked them and brought them back home to my mother, I would definitely be eating blueberry muffins for breakfast. Perhaps, if I picked enough, blueberry pie for supper!
“Stopping by Woods on A Snowy Evening”
…My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake…
Robert Frost
In planning for a Robert Frost Art Exhibit for the reopening of the Derry Public Library in 2011, my first thought was to include my favorite of his poems, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”. I planned to have my work for this piece be viewed from the perspective of the driver of the sleigh, and I wanted the driver’s hands to be the focal point. I was also very clear that I wanted to use pen and ink as my medium. Because pen and ink is very intricate and time consuming work, and because of the time constraints for this exhibit, changes to my original plans were in order. I compromised by placing the driver’s hands in rugged, woolen mittens which they would likely be in on a cold winter night. Not only would that change make the work go quicker, but it also gave me the opportunity to use my father’s old firefighters’ mittens as a model for the piece. “Will’s old mittens” can now clearly be recognized in the foreground of this piece.
I have since reworked a copy of “On A Snowy Evening” to produce a hand-colored Christmas card “Merry Christmas to All”.
Red and green packages and greenery have been added to the sleigh, creating an old-fashioned Christmas scene.
…My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake…
Robert Frost
In planning for a Robert Frost Art Exhibit for the reopening of the Derry Public Library in 2011, my first thought was to include my favorite of his poems, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”. I planned to have my work for this piece be viewed from the perspective of the driver of the sleigh, and I wanted the driver’s hands to be the focal point. I was also very clear that I wanted to use pen and ink as my medium. Because pen and ink is very intricate and time consuming work, and because of the time constraints for this exhibit, changes to my original plans were in order. I compromised by placing the driver’s hands in rugged, woolen mittens which they would likely be in on a cold winter night. Not only would that change make the work go quicker, but it also gave me the opportunity to use my father’s old firefighters’ mittens as a model for the piece. “Will’s old mittens” can now clearly be recognized in the foreground of this piece.
I have since reworked a copy of “On A Snowy Evening” to produce a hand-colored Christmas card “Merry Christmas to All”.
Red and green packages and greenery have been added to the sleigh, creating an old-fashioned Christmas scene.
NOTHING
GOLD CAN STAY
Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower:
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf,
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
Robert Frost
“Gold Leaf” is a small watercolor which I painted a number of years ago. It was not originally a part of the work presented with the Road Not Taken Art Exhibit at the Derry Public Library in 2011. I believe, however, that it represents Frost’s “Nothing Gold Can Last” in a very literal way, and decided to add it to the exhibit.
.
Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower:
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf,
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
Robert Frost
“Gold Leaf” is a small watercolor which I painted a number of years ago. It was not originally a part of the work presented with the Road Not Taken Art Exhibit at the Derry Public Library in 2011. I believe, however, that it represents Frost’s “Nothing Gold Can Last” in a very literal way, and decided to add it to the exhibit.
.
IN A DISUSED GRAVEYARD
...The living come with grassy tread
To read the gravestones on the hill;
The graveyard draws the living still...
When I read this poem, I thought immediately of the Evergreen Cemetery in Kingston, Massachusetts. A very old cemetery, deeply shaded with stately evergreen trees and “secret paths” for children to discover, many of its graves are dated in the early 1600s. It was used in my childhood as a shortcut to the library and the community center. The photo used to inspire this painting was taken one day when I returned to my hometown and decided to reminisce by taking the shortcut through the cemetery.
