IMG_4979

Chris Berens

Dorothy

mixed media on panel
26 x 18 cm 2022

Dorothy feels lost. She is looking for the Right Path. This path is said to begin in the heart of the far end and it is to function as a guideline that leads all who follow it, to the ultimate destination, located in the exact center of the entire continent. Whatever that may be. Apparently, all the other fawns start off on this road, knowing where to go, simply having to follow the path.

Dorothy, however, is forced to search for the road before she can even begin her quest as she doesn’t seem to be anywhere near it. So, she starts looking for it. She sees many pathways and roads nearby, all of which lead in various directions but none of them seem to stand out or call to her in any specific way. Just when she decides to give up, she hangs her head and there it is. Right underneath her hoofs. Still hanging her head between her forelegs, she sees a path, lit up in a bright yellow glow, winding and twisting behind her.

Has she been on the Right Path all along? Why didn’t she see it before? The path goes on and on and on behind her, but it stops right beneath her feet. Is this it? Did she reach her destination? It sure doesn’t feel like it. Should she turn around? Has she been walking the Right Path backwards and is she at the starting point? Unsure what to do next, she hesitantly tips her hoof in front of her and quickly retracts it. A warm yellow light emerges from the ground, right where she planted her hoof. Slowly she lifts her head and looks into the dark in front of her. And then she sees it.

DOROTHY will not hang her head. Even if a situation seems too big to oversee, she knows the only way forward is one step at a time. And should she later on discover that she has taken the wrong turn, turning back is a next step, too. There is no going back, as even going back is a step forward. It all depends on your perspective. She will not be discouraged. If, for any reason, the bigger picture is obscured, she relies on her inner and moral compass and trusts her instinct.

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