Painted on commission for a friend's daughter for Christmas. She has a ball python and I wanted to do a portrait a little different for me.....I thought a great deal about the composition on this one, and kept coming back to my love of tattoos and so this piece came together. Snakes and roses are often paired in tattoo work. Snakes, because they shed their skin, often represent change. Red roses symbolize love, and the depiction of a single red rose signifies devotion to one person. I found this to be a most fitting image as a gift from a father to his beautiful daughter, for no matter what changes happen in life, one thing remains a constant, his love for her. Merry Christmas Alexis, your dad loves you very much.