Enjoying the look of my treasured objets d’art with roses on the first “Orientale,’ I decided to paint a larger one in which I could portray them full-size. To set off the black pot, I added an old book, “Chinese Art.” When I had all the non-living objects painted to my satisfaction, I bought some fresh flowers; three kinds of chrysanthemums, so that the spider mum would be the focal point of the painting. The butterflies came last, and were inspired by a dream I had a few days before I finished it. It took a month to complete the whole painting.