32” x 20” - Acrylic on 2 canvas panels. Part of the artist’s intention for sharing her artwork with the world is to promote awareness about mental health.
Some viewers might think the painting "Two Birds - Two Serpents" looks like two birds facing each other, but others might think it looks like two serpents in a face-off. Birds can be a symbol of friendship, but serpents can be a symbol of death. Lindsey asks viewers to be aware of a similar juxtaposition when they contemplate the usefulness of opioids in America. Are opioids helpful, or dangerous?
Although reducing access to opioids and fentanyl has been a common American approach since the 1970s, it fails to address the underlying causes of drug addiction and the importance of education. “Opioid use” can be recreational, medicinal, and stopped as needed. “Opioid addiction” is a perceived need for continued use despite functional impairment. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that has effects similar to other opioids, but is 100 times more potent. It can be used therapeutically in healthcare settings, such as through a transdermal patch for chronic pain treatment in opioid-tolerant patients. In other cases, opioid replacement therapy, including medications like methadone and suboxone, helps individuals recover from opioid addiction.
