Previously, before president-elect Donald Trump made good on his promise to get elected, I had a title of No Trump (and then, Trump Trump) on this painting, with just red duct tape over his filthy mouth and his left hand painted in his trademark thumbs-up gesture. But The Donald overcame the odds by basically promising the hard-working white (rural America mostly) their hearts’ desires of bringing their manufacturing jobs back into America (symbolized by their taking a bite out of the offered red apple).

He harped about Hillary’s lying while making derogatory and disconcerting remarks about the different races (other than white Caucasian). He made a highly unlikely promise about getting Mexico to build a boarder wall for the US. He chastised Hillary about outsourcing jobs in America, but sent much of his manufacturing business abroad. His statement of “Bombing the hell out of them,” is mirrored in the White House balustrade negative shapes loosely representing bombs and their random falling. A lone piece of red duct tape just didn’t seem sufficient to counter his relentless bullying and boasting–hence the outline of a Hannibal Lecter mouth restraint.

Yes, he was victorious (half of a Winged Victory sculpture image), but I hope and pray it’s not just one-legged in his favor (asking only what his country can do for his ego). I believe that if he surrounds himself with enough good people (?), he might be influenced to soften his hardened heart and exhibit some humility. Who knows, the Christian God has used many other despicable people in high positions in past times to accomplish HIS good. I pray Mr. Trump will also be one of them–to bless America. (Note: God choose the Assyrians and the Babylonians (and later, the Romans) to punish the disobeying and disbelieving in Christ Jews. Hopefully, HE (God) didn’t have to resort to Donald Trump for like reasons for America. In case your wondering–I didn’t vote for Hillary either, but I did vote. My (hopefully helpful) commentary on my painting reminds me of my Dali Museum anecdote from my book Dancing in the Shadows, called:

Art Appreciation 101

There we were, my wife and I, with other gallery spectators, standing in the Saint Petersburg’s Salvador Dali Museum admiring Dali’s The Hallucinatory Troubadour painting. Our gallery host was giving us a running commentary on the details of this particular painting. It was suggested, that if we were to tilt our heads every so slightly to the left and focus on the torso of the smaller of two images of Venus de Milo, we would see a typical example of Dali’s famous double imagery. Having done that, you should be able to visualize, not only her left breast, but also the nose of a much larger image superimposed over that torso exactly intersecting at that left breast.

I began hearing, “Ahs” and “I see it,” from all of the observers including my wife, Doris. Mind you, I’m probably the only serious painter in our group and have had numerous art history courses, but for the life of me, I can’t put it together. I repeatedly tilt my head alternately from one side to another (reminiscent of the silly dog’s head bobbing in many a car’s rear window) trying to figure out what everyone else has already. Doris asked, “You still don’t see it, do you”? I responded with, “No, I don’t, but if anyone should see it, I should.” “It’s as plain as the nose on your (her) face, Larry, she retorts. You know, breast nose, nose breast.”

By the time my right brain finally kicks in, and I say the magic word, “ah,” what’s left of the gallery of viewers, who haven’t already moved on to the next painting, are all negatively acknowledging my latent awakening, making me feel like less than a novice viewer. So, if you don’t see everything in the painting that I’m pointing out, which is not even remotely close to the complexity of a Dali painting, I well understand–thank you very much.