A little girl creates an imaginary world. Her three stuffed bears and especially Bitty Baby, her dolly, always participate. The little girl includes grownups willing to take on the characters and names she assigns them. She has an impressive ability to inhabit the sometimes surreal world she imagines, and her dolly is always central to the story. Given that imagination, that centrality, and the homophone, I painted the portrait’s background in homage to the great surrealist, Salvador Dali.

The actual little girl is the much beloved granddaughter of a very close friend. I have been with the two of them on many occasions. Sometimes, the three of us have a visit (and typically have tea and cookies). Sometimes, I see her with her extended family. Whatever the setting, this little girl is effervescent.