All that We Wish to Stay Tempts, then Flies

I started this painting in the fall with my end-of-season garden blooms. I put it away for a month and when I pulled it out again in the dead of winter, I worked in a lot of sombre reds. The background was repainted quite a few times until it felt right.
The title is from the poem "Mutability" by Shelley that talks about impermanence.

"The flower that smiles to-day, to-morrow dies"