There's a relationshp between a branch and an axe but in this pair there is a deliberate intensity about the branch and the axe is a bit taken aback. With paper and scissors, paper seems to be gracefully offering and scissors is taking a second look, perhaps reconsidering the mission. The feminine, marionette-like poses of these figures belie the gravity of decisions hanging in the balance. Like much of Emily McPhie's work, this series will keep speaking long after the viewer has turned away.