48" x 48" — acrylic & gold leaf on wood
Love You More
A painting about love, memory, and what remains.
The Story
Mum loved the sea.
Not simply as a visitor, but as someone who genuinely belonged. The sea was her quiet place. She carried it with her wherever she went.
That blue is interlaced with the butterfly wings. Pale sky on one side, deep water on the other. Her colour. She's calm.
The butterfly stands for her freedom, the kind she lived by. She never held anyone back or asked them to stay; she wanted the people she loved to go and do whatever made them happy. That was her greatest gift, and it cost her nothing because it came from somewhere real.
The robin sits close to a symbol she shared with her parents, a way of saying I'm still here. And she is.
The fingerprint is her heartbeat, pressed into the wood forever, and proof of presence.
The calmness in this painting, the breathing space, and the places where the eye can rest were her strengths, too. She wasn't afraid of stillness. She could be alone and be completely at peace. The twisting gold patterns in the butterfly wings and the deep red near the robin show the comfort I painted into them. Three generations of love, held in colour.
And the words, written in gold, the manner she always said them:
Love you more.
That voice doesn't leave.
What’s Woven In
Butterfly: transformation, freedom, love continuing
Blues: her favourite colour — from pale sky to deep water
Gold leaf: light, warmth, permanence
“Love you more”: her words, written in gold
Fingerprint: June’s actual fingerprint — her touch preserved
Wood grain: nature’s foundation, and the part of her that stays
Every detail in this piece carries meaning — woven together through memory, love, and presence.
How It Was Painted
Painted on a 48" × 48" natural wood panel with artist-grade acrylics, 24k gold leaf, and archival varnish.
Hand-painted slowly — layer by layer — so the story becomes part of the wood.
How It Came Together
From first sketch to gold leaf and final detail.
