The Dock Less Traveled - Revised
With a salute to Robert Frost and M. Scott Peck, my painting the Dock Less Traveled is titled.
In Southampton, where I live, we have many private docks. The poetic imagery of this is significant to me as each of us has a private walk with the Lord. And, in a way we each have our own private spiritual dock, our own walk over the water. God meets us on our own private dock over the Bible (as mayim, water in Hebrew, stands for the first five books of the Bible, the Pentateuch ).
So, when we walk over the water – and a dock represents a small bridge over water—we are as close to walking on water as we can be without actually walking on it. There is also an implied reference to the idea of over a bridge over troubled waters (thank you Simon and Garfunkle).
All the symbolism was present for me as I worked on this painting. It is all about our walk-- or for me, stumble forward with my God.
Each of us walks along on our own individual dock over the water.
THE DOCK LESS TRAVELED
Genesis: Sunset-Sunrise series
2005
30 x 24 inches
Acrylic on canvas
Texts used: Genesis 1- 2:7, Deut. 6 , Psalm 19
Imagine yourself facing a dock at a magnificent sunset. Do you step nt the dock and get seemingly colder to the sunset over the water or do you stay where you are on the beach. If you walk towards the sunset on the dock how far do you actually walk?
That is what this painting is about for me.
I had a photo of a local dock and I slightly skewed the light so that it came a bit more from the side. I thought I had artistic license. I preferred the image my way. I liked the idea of the light (God's Light) not being direct but slightly to the side so one would have to look for it).
I sent an archival signed print to Rebecca, my best pal in Orlando. All was well until her father, Rolf, came to visit.
Somewhere in his life Rolf had taken some art classes. He noticed that the perspective of the light over the water was off in relation to where it ws on the bridge. Again, I intended it to be so. Still, it bothered Rolf. So, he spoke to me about it, pointing out the obvious.
Rolf is Rebecca's dad, and a dear man. So, I bit my tongue, not mentioning the last 70 years or more of abstraction and artistic license, out of respect and kindness for him. I definitely was thinking fuddy-duddy and wondering what Rolf would have advised Picasso, among others. Still, I was polite. I had to be since I was especially focused on my own walk by even discussing this image. ( May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart...)
Although polite I was dismissing Rolf's comments for myself until Rebecca came on the phone with the news that now, as she looked at her print she could not get over that the path of the light was off and it bothered her, too.
The Dock Less Traveled is one of my earliest paintings, and their comments resonated. I trust Rebecca to hear from the Lord if she tunes in, which can sometimes be as annoying for her as it is for me as it means added work and change. I listened, but muttered quietly to myself.
The Dock Less Traveled is the only painting I have ever reworked based on anyone's comments. It just somehow seemed right to do so despite my understanding of abstraction in Modern art. Ironic, since the whole intent of this work is about walking closely on one's individual path with the Lord I changed it based on people's comments.
But then, there's that idea from Proverbs that in the counsel of many is wisdom.
The Dock Less Traveled is one of the first prints, so I have to reissue the print, too. Changing it was not an easy choice.
I repainted it to show the actual -- dare I say realistic?—light path over the water. I reissued the print. I have fussed with it ever since.
As I write this I can see the actual painting, which is on the wall of the hall right outside of my studio-office. Whe I sit at the main computer it is the painting I can see the best. I put it there to ponder. For almost two years now I have pondered it, thinking about painting it back the way it was originally. Until now I was seriously considering re-painting it to the original way it was.
Then today in the shower, mayim pouring over me, I got it.
Rolf is correct.
The original way I had painted it is correct also.
If we step out and walk along our path with the Lord, if we veer to the right or left a tad, God will meet us. God will light the path ever correct our path for where we are now. Thus, for those of us who have strayed (count me in) the path is still before us. It may not be the original path we saw, but a new one and it is still God's path for us.
The path now.
Rolf's version is the original moment, the original path, just as perfect and just as much God's Plan.
Whether on the original path or the adjusted and also perfect path all we need to do is take the next step onto our unique dock and move forward.
With one small purposeful step you can move from where you are to the Holy One's unique path for you. We can move forward on the dock less traveled.
Now the question is, for each of us, when we come to the end of the dock , are we, like a kid on a hot summer's day, willing to jump in -- to the water (biblical mayim)? Or will we stop and stop our forward progress?
This article is with thanks to Rebecca and her dear Dad Rolf who have given me permission to use their names.
