Andrew Roda’s development as a Western realist painter comes through a combination of personal heritage and an appreciation of the objects of classic Americana and their stories. His appreciation for the subject lies in a belief that everyday objects are artwork in and of themselves. From the craftsmanship and skill that went into making an object to the stories they tell through wear and tear, Roda finds value in the details of everyday objects. Through detail, scale of work, and soul, his paintings are his way of capturing the beauty inherent in these objects and imprinting that sense of appreciation on the canvas.

Roda writes of this painting:

The story of this painting shares literal and figurative references to Couse history as well as moments from my own life. The picture in the frame is referenced from a real photograph taken by E. I. Couse of fellow Taos Society of Artists member Bert Geer Phillips during a camping trip in 1910.

I came upon this image while exploring the nitrate negatives archive at The Lunder Research Center in October 2023. I was enamored with the man and boy staring off together into the distance (to me, seemingly looking off into the future of what adventures could lie ahead). The boots and trunk connect this theme of exploration and adventure. Where have these boots traveled? What memories and trinkets lay inside this trunk from a life lived? The boots are an old pair of mine (I colloquially call them my “chimney sweep boots”), but they also pay homage to a favorite childhood poem Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me Too from Shel Silverstein’s book Where the Sidewalk Ends. The boots bare resemblance to Shel’s “flying shoe” navigated by the adventurers in the poem.

Aside from its visual appeal, the trunk makes another connection directly to Couse history—it was owned by Kibbey Couse, and sits under a stack of books in his office at the site. I took notice of it several years ago during my first visit. Over the past several months, Marissa Hendriks (Director of The Lunder Research Center) and I explored its details and nuances, attempting to play forensic scientist on its adventures. I was able to surmise that one of the fragmented stickers (which I included in the painting) likely said Monopol Hotel. Two prominent hotels under this name were opened in the early 1900s in Wroclaw and Katowice, Poland. Perhaps Kibbey visited the location during his travels in WWI? We don’t know, but the answer lives somewhere between the facts we know and the mysteries we whimsically fill in, and that’s part of the fun.

Continuing the theme of adventures and literature, the title of this painting is an homage to Dr. Seuss’s Oh, The Places You’ll Go, which encourages children to embrace both the adventures and challenges in life. The message to its readers was that life is full of ups and downs, but it’s important to keep moving forward and never give up on your dreams. With a litany of nuggets personal to both myself and the Couse-Sharp Historic Site, I’m so excited to contribute in celebration of the Site. May it help share the appreciation and reverence I hold for the Site and community that surrounds it, and help inspire new stories on a journey all its own.  

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