I chose to go with the theme of passion as such an abundance of red led itself to a dynamic subject.  The title is a reference to the well known china pattern, Blue Willow.

The story on the pattern of Blue Willow china has several interpretations.  The most common is the tale of a nobleman's daughter who falls in love with a servant of a lower class, thus their love is forbidden.  The father discovers their romance and builds a wall around the house to keep them apart.  He arranges a marriage to a powerful lord for his daughter.

On the night of the arranged wedding, the lover sneaks into the home disguised as a servant and escapes with the daughter.  They flee to a small island where they live for many years until the lord discovers their location.  The lord sends his soldiers to the island where the two lovers are put to death. 

In the painting, the pattern from Blue Willow is recreated in the spheres.  On the left side of the canvas flowing around the French horn is a panel representing Picasso's Guernica.  The elements of this work and the intense direct view of the woman all speak of the beauty, power and mystery of intense passion.  The power a woman wields with her heart.

Red Willow has always been one of my favorite canvases and it stayed in my home until 2011 when it was destroyed by a fire.