Artist: Rae Allen
Title: Cast It into the Fire
Medium: Ink and mixed media on paper
Size: 11.5 x 11.5 in.
Artist Statement: 
Despite all that he’s been through to get to this point, despite the hatred he’s felt toward the ring and all the reasons it must be destroyed, at this long-anticipated moment Frodo finds himself unable to release his grip on the chain as he stares into the fires of Mount Doom. 
“What are you waiting for?” Sam calls behind him. “Just let it go!” 
As a child I watched The Lord of the Rings on repeat, and often pretended that I was Frodo. Now, as I struggle with the responsibilities of adulthood and an endless pursuit of self-mastery, this scene has taken on a much deeper meaning for me. 
When I struggle to wake up in the morning, or find myself procrastinating, or catch myself doom-scrolling, I envision myself as though I’m Frodo greedily clutching that chain, staring into the fire. “Just let it go!” becomes “Just get up!” “Just start working!” “Just stop scrolling!” And I remember how frustrated I was at Frodo for not dropping the ring into the fire. 
That thought spurs me into action.