Mona Lisa is actually the name of the ballerina doll in the painting. It is the doll I had as a kid. I’ve always thought poppies growing in a garden look as if they are dancing, with their long curving stems, so the two seemed like a natural pair. For this painting, I used wire and duct tape to arrange the doll’s arms and legs into the pose of Edgar Degas’ Prima Ballerina and gave her flowers in her hair and on her dress. Then she got a black ribbon around her neck and a stage and footlights. For her backdrop, I went to the computer and downloaded Leonardo DaVinci’s famous painting, and used oil pastels to copy the background onto a piece of linen. My apologies to Leonardo and Degas. Other paintings featuring flowers are Cut Flowers, Dana’s Flowers, Summer Garden, and Vase of Roses With Dark Narrative Under Currants. The ballerina doll is also seen in The Studio (Closet), and Ballerina Doll Reaches Fort Knox in a Chocolate Dream.