Love Is the Honey was commissioned by a couple whose relationship has long inspired me. Their story is both deeply romantic and deeply real: they were married in Paris, have lived through more together than most people see from the outside, and continue to choose one another with devotion, humor, and resilience. The piece takes its name from Victor Hugo’s words: Life is a flower of which love is the honey. That line became the emotional center of the painting. I wasn’t trying to illustrate love as something perfect or overly sentimental. I was interested in love as something gathered over time — shaped by joy, difficulty, forgiveness, tenderness, and the everyday decision to keep showing up. Built through layered color, movement, and organic texture, the work reflects a relationship that feels both beautiful and earned. Like honey, love can be slow, rich, imperfect, and enduring.