The abstract effect was inspired by the use of solid and multicolored real marbles, using their spherical shapes to contrast with the purely square and rectangular background shapes. Mary Lou uses a watercolor technique called saturated, which requires many layers of color to achieve the rich deep hues that are seen in this painting especially.  Watercolors can fade, but with the extra level of color in her originals and prints, these are less likely to lose their high contrast and vivid color.