Pear Blossoms

30"x40" Acrylic on Canvas

July 2024

Chapter 4 began with ... a Honey Bee with her pollen baskets full 

This is the first in a new series for a private collection, so the original is not for sale.

However, limited edition canvas prints can be special ordered.

This chapter (number four of my painting journey) began in the summer of 2024 and started with the Pear Blossoms painting featuring a Honey Bee. In 2014 I began following an old family tradition and started another wonderful journey of the age old art of beekeeping. Then a year later turned the venture into a full time business, so I put my brushes on hold for a while. Fast forward 10 years and I finally found little time for painting again. I was able to get some quality help and get them trained to my satisfaction, which lighten my workload. Growing our honey bee business from the first two hives to now having over two thousand has been a great journey of it's own, but left me with no spare time... until July of '24. So I though it only fitting that the first painting, after a 10+ year break, should include a honey bee and some blossoms. This chapter starts off with many of the paintings containing a bit more bold and considerably brighter color pallets. Many are on larger sizes of canvas and include some amounts of airbrush work. 

Status - in Private Collection 

Honey Bandits

18" x 24" Acrylic on Canvas

August 2024

The California Almonds require a great deal of pollination for ample nut production, so honey bees are imported from all over the country and placed into the orchards and left to do their work for the last 6 to 8 weeks of winter each year while the trees are in full bloom.

Some of the locals find the Almond Honey irresistible and once in a while sample the goods. This mamma bear is trying to convince her young that the goods are worth the effort, but their skin is not as thick yet and they do not seem to agree.

Painted as a gift for our good friend and brother in arms, Marcel, the owner and second in charge at MVP Bees.

Status - in Private Collection 

Old Faithful

24"x36" Acrylic on Canvas

Series: Unsung Heroes; Beekeepers in America

January 2025

Beekeepers in the United States are often unsung heroes that go far beyond producing some of the best honey in the world, they also keep the bees healthy that help the environment, support veterans (with jobs), and contribute to the pollination requirements needed to produce the fruits, nuts and a third of the vegetables consumed by Americans every day.

This scene offers a glimpse into the day to day life of a commercial beekeeper preparing to move his bees in mass. These folks are rarely seen or heard as they go about the work that very few people are willing to do or are ever aware even exists. When the phone rings and hives are needed by a grower, the beekeepers gather and load hundreds of hives to be transported, typically at night after the bees have returned to the hives after gathering food for the day and the rest of the world is preparing for bed. This night work prevents beekeepers from leaving any bees behind, but makes for some really long hard hours for these unsung heroes. 

This one is titled "Old Faithful", because the beekeeper is there day in and day out year after year as are his bees that he cares for on a daily basis. He uses the smoker (the devise shown on top of a pallet of hives) to keep his bees calm and his trusty forklift to assist with the heavy lifting, as each hive can weigh upwards of a hundred pounds or more.

Support your local beekeeper by buying genuine local honey from a local source instead of supporting those that bottle imported fake honey that is normally a blend of rice or corn syrup with dyes and flavoring additives. Farmer's Markets and local feed stores are often a good place to get real honey from real beekeepers.

Ref Photo Credit: Jason Deeringer, Commercial Beekeeper