BONDING YEARS

"This demonstrates the bond of family," said artist Dean Mitchell. "The child is totally unafraid because he knows he is safe with his mother holding him. The dark, unknown background could symbolize uncertainty, although that is not necessarily bad. The future's unpredictable so it's good to have this bond between a mother and child. Sometimes that's all you have. With all the violence and change in the world today, this country is realizing that the deterioration of the family structure can have an impact on society. We need to return to those values."