“Melancholy Baby” is an original, signed 21 × 24 inch painting on board by Bisbee, Arizona artist Bill Mead, a tender, symbolic still life where humor and mortality sit side by side. A skull rests on a polished pedestal, crowned with a bright slice of watermelon and a drifting envelope tied with a ribbon  a strange, sweet offering suspended between whimsy and reflection.
 
A red bird perches in the skull’s eye socket, claiming the moment with a spark of life. Below, one hand steadies the pedestal while another lifts a glass of red wine, creating a quiet, ceremonial exchange. Whole watermelons, a red cloth, and a silver fork complete the foreground, all set against a glowing landscape of fields, trees, and shifting sky. Mead’s surrealism is confident and unforced; the improbable settles naturally into place, inviting the viewer to linger on the symbolism, the humor, and the gentle strangeness woven throughout. A vivid, character‑rich work from Mead’s Gravity & Wonder collection.