Canberra artist James "Smalls" Small, who has just relocated to the Gold Coast, has released an inspiring image as a tribute to nurses facing abuse in these strange times of the coronavirus pandemic.
"A call to arms," is how Small described his image, which is labelled "Care for the Ones That Care for Us".
"I've probably never created a piece of work with such personal rage for the cause," he said.
It seems unimaginable that nurses would be abused for doing their job on the frontline, with some directed not to wear their uniform or scrubs to and from work, for their own safety.
James's wife, Jamie, is a nurse, who has experienced her own abuse in the midst of the pandemic, after they moved to Queensland in January.
"That was kind of enough fire for me to do something," James said.
He explained on Instagram that he was always proud to tell people his wife was a nurse but something very sick was taking place against one of our most trusted professions during the pandemic.
"She's started constantly coming home from another wild 12-13 hour shift with more and more stories of nurses that she personally knows and from others around the world being abused, threatened and assaulted while out in public on the way to and from saving lives. Yelled at, spat on, even one threatened with a knife for boarding a train, labeled a 'virus carrier'," he wrote.
"She suffered her own experience last week and I've probably never created a piece of work with such personal rage for the cause. If you have ever disrespected or abused a nurse, go ahead and do us a favor and give yourself an uppercut."
His digital artwork has the feel of a war-time campaign poster.
"Obviously we saw such respect for the RFS officers during the bushfires and I don't see why it should be any different for nurses now," he said.
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James, who met Jamie when they were both students at Lake Ginninderra College, said they moved to the Gold Coast for a lifestyle change and to be closer to the beaches. His work is in public spaces around the national capital, on walls showing street art to nature.
"Canberra will always be home," he said.
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