BACK ROADS

“Back Roads”

This colorful piece was inspired by a dream Nick had where he was driving down the back roads of his hometown, but the world was a little more eccentric. Described by Nick as a ‘Doctor Seuss/Mario Brother’s” world, this alternate universe brought about a fresh new take on the world Nick was living in. Each character has it’s own unique personality reflected in their physical appearance. 

Despite all of the strange creatures, the “Beware of Goats” sign seems to be the main focal point for a lot of viewers, and people tend to make up their own explanation of the sign even when they don’t see the two goats in the background. The meaning behind the sign isn’t some crazy story, but more so a piece of Nick’s past. He worked at the local farmers market for about twelve years and a large part of his job there was caring for their goats. Nick found that while the younger goats were often cute and sweet, the older ones could be aggressive and territorial, so he never knew what would happen when he jumped into the pen with them. 

You will also find Nick’s frogs in this piece as well as the trouble-making cat climbing the fence, trying to get the owls. Most of Nick’s work has a deep meaning, but this piece in particular is simply a fun dream with a few comical twists and a splash of color in attempt to appeal to a different demographic with the worlds Nick visits when he lies down to rest. 

Darienne Keniece