In English there is only one word for love. The Greeks have four words to describe that universal feeling: Filia is the love of friendship. Agape is the ultimate love, unconditional love, spiritual love. Eros is physical love--from hugs to sex--although current English usage tends to relegate eros strictly to sexual love. Storgy is parental love. The love that a parent has for her or his child.

When I discovered that these four beautiful words can e united into one, using the last letter of the first word as the first letter of the next word--filiagaperostorgy was born. And, of course, I had to make a mosaic about it because that is what I do.

This mosaic is composed of 24 karat gold tesserae from the Orsoni foundry in Venice, Italy and white Carrara marble. Each piece is hand cut with a hammer and hardie and cast in the double-reverse technique I learned at the Ravenna Mosaic Art School.

I teach locally at the Santa Barbara School of Mosaic Art.