My wife is my muse — my Gala, as I’ve always thought of her — which I’m sure is not so uncommon. Gala was Salvador Dali’s wife, and I thought of his paintings of Gala as a precedent I could follow. This portrait is from a photo taken on our “last-day tour,” connecting with our favorite places in Milwaukee before moving home to New Orleans after many years away. By contrast, the philodendrons in the background are a reference to being home and refamiliarizing ourselves with the city, making this piece a bridge connecting those periods of our life. 

Her posture and facial expression have always reminded me of Botticelli’s Birth of Venus, with her body facing one way, her head turned to face the other, with porcelain skin and a calm, peaceful expression. This was my first time using this golden-brown color to represent the sky, as an attempt to disrupt the work from feeling too grounded in reality. The golden color is a good complement to the green of the leaves, and carries through into the tan piping of the shirt.