Patricia Underwood
Mixed Media Artist

Body of Work:
"Healing Shields

Title:  "Please Don't"

Size:  40" x 30"

Media:  Handmade Paper,   Mixed Media

Notes: "Please Don't" deals with domestic violence. Subjugation, boundaries and threshold's (the point at which physiological or psychological effects begin to be produced or materiel that lies under a door) are all aspects to consider. A door represents a boundary and ironically it is also the entry into a home (hearth, safety, comfort). The symbols in the center of the piece represent human connection, communication. They form a circle and appear to be spinning. Their color red suggests intensity and the black in the center, an abyss. The hands on the outside are depicted in two forms: a fist symbolizing the person hurting and an open hand, symbolizing a person trying to protect themselves. A thin thread of dark blue beads on the outer circle of this shield defines a line. This could be something to grab onto for the victim, a safety line an attempt to avoid being hurt. To the victimizer, the line represents a threshold or boundary beyond which a choice is made. The spinning symbols also represent energy that spins out of balance, sucking all it affects into the abyss.