The only female subject that Beauford would repeatedly portray in his art throughout his life was his mother, Delia Delaney. This pastel portrait captures her essence through her son’s lens. Delia’s eyes are heavy and her lips slightly pursed, she looks straight at the viewer. She is stoic yet mildly exhausted, her facial expression conveying the hardships she endured in Knoxville raising ten children, and ultimately losing many of them to heartbreaking circumstances. The yellow and orange light surrounding her figure almost seems as if it’s being emitted from her very being, her maternal and loving nature symbolized through Beauford’s treatment of the pastels. Beauford deeply cherished the relationship he had with his mother, despite not seeing her frequently after leaving home. His portraits of her were declarations of his love and adoration for her.