Relentless

The Painting for Dr. John King

by Kate Shaffer

Finding the Imagery

I knew that I wanted to use the word Relentless when painting the metaphor imagery for Dr. King. The question was how best to depict that word. I had some thoughts, but nothing really clicked with me until I plugged in my ipod. The song that came on began with the waves washing up against the shore and I knew in that moment I had found my imagery. What could be more relentless than the ocean?

The Metaphors

I began with the background and since I wanted a stormy sky I used a gray-blue. The stormy sky represents the awareness that is taking place across our country and the world on the horror of human trafficking. It is a warning to all those who are committing these crimes that the storm is coming. The rocks represent the perpetrators of this violence. They think they are safe and untouchable. They hide, insulated behind a covering of dark web. The perpetrators camouflage themselves to trick young people, steal children and lie to unsuspecting adults. The wave is the metaphor for Dr. King. The relentless wave crashing against the rocks and gradually wearing them down. The water seeps into the cracks between the rocks, finding the vulnerabilities and causing the rough edges to erode and open to the light. The ocean metaphor depicts all the workers around the world who are laboring together with Dr. King to end this horrible practice.

How You Can Be Involved

For those of you who are reading and have not joined the fight…come and join us, come and be the storm. If you are a survivor and would like your story told, contact me at studio@kateshafferfineart.com