Finding some old paper valentines in an antique shop inspired this painting, and my habit of snacking on my still life materials was nearly its undoing. The valentines, with their "honeycomb" hinges, the red dried gomphrena and the cherries in the pewter bowl, formed great little red spheres throughout the painting. However, since there would be a considerable amount of time between the drawing and the time I would be painting the cherries, I ate them. A couple of months later, when I was, indeed, ready to paint the cherries, they could not be found in the grocery store. After much deliberation, my husband finally suggested that I use cranberries. I put them into a smaller dish and painted them larger, added stems, and created the lost cherries! I have become very careful, since then, about eating my still life set-ups! Lace, with its see-through properties, is an important part of this piece.  Other prints that capitalize on lace are Cut Flowers, Silver With Fruit and Cakes, Old Glass and Cookbooks, Apples and Silver, Corner Cupboard, and Pure Indiana.  These prints also utilize the reflective properties of silver objects, and I find lace and silver to be a remarkable and irresistible combination!