Symbol of Woman, symbol of love, symbol of Motherhood

This is a close detail of the front of the art work for the Dali Museum. I wanted to highlight this for you and give you a bit more information. I found a picture of my Mother form the 1940's. If you look closely you will see her profile repeated twice in this section. The war planes are a reference to all wars, a nod to Dali's ants, and World War II. My Father was stationed in Guam with the Army Air Corp. He was a raido man on a B 52 Bomber. My Mother was alone, raising my brother in Mississippi. My Father did not see his son until Don was 5 years old. The dress form also has references to my Mothers expertise in sewing, it was beyond hobby, it was the skill of a tailor. She also was a science major, teaching biology, chemistry and physics as a young teacher. Her image reminded me of Gala, Salvador Dali's wife. I remember one photo, that he had put a halo over her head like an angel or saint. My Mother was truly a person that knew what unconditional universal love was. She taught me to respect all people, animals and life on this planet. She was the universal figure of Motherhood and that is how I used her picture and the symbology in this art work. Lela, a beautiful name, that is also the name of love.