Skip to main content

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Advanced Search
Fill Every Pause Along the Way by Rachel Hecker
Photo CreditCarol M. Highsmith Photography
Fill Every Pause Along the Way
Photo CreditCarol M. Highsmith Photography

Fill Every Pause Along the Way

Artist
Year1996
Classification painting
Medium acrylic on canvas
Dimensions36 x 237 in. (91.4 x 602 cm)
Credits Commissioned through the Art in Architecture Program
Fine Arts Collection
U.S. General Services Administration
Location
  • These three canvases are designed to be viewed as one mural celebrating the natural world in a state of reverie.  The six images depict nature -- three from the land and three from the sea, including a hydroid, a leaf, an anemone, a hibiscus, a rose and a jellyfish.  The artist sees the images as monolithic, and intends for them to function as a visual representation of the senses - such as the way a rose might feel or smell, or the memories it may evoke.  The magnified images fill each canvas containing one word painted in gold from the Eva Rose Yorks' poem "I Shall Not Pass this Way Again", which forms the line Fill Every Pause Along the Way.




    The artist believes that the "most evocative and democratic vehicle for reverie is nature and Galveston has been defined by it. From the great hurricane and flood of 1900 to the current revitalization of the tourist industry, Galvestonians have always responded to both the ferocity and beauty of the gulf."  The mural and the poem are intended as a reminder to take solace in the abundant gifts around us, and to celebrate the beauty of the island.