"Love it, love it, ......LOVE IT!!!!!!!  Oh I love the perfect dance between cartoon and realism. And between green and yellow hues and the brilliant colors."  S.D.
 
We have all heard how important Honey Bees are to the Ecosystem we are a part of.  I treasure seeing them in my yard and I've planted lots of food flowers for them.

When I was asked by a Beekeeper at a Show a few years ago to make an image, I was thrilled to get a nudge to create one.  I plan to make more!

This was a challenging image, not so much each part, like each individual bee or even the background.  Putting them all together was great Fun!  It was the retouching that left me feeling a few times that I'd bitten off more than I wanted to chew.  But I really liked the image so just kept plugging along.

To explain...there are 25 bees and EACH ONE needed to be retouched once placed in the background.  White outlines needed to be removed...for 25 BEES!

YIPES!
 
The invented Flowers are made with the tips of Green Hosta leaves turned upside down and colorful Zinnia flower petals.  The yellow flowers in the centers are Golden Rod.  Red & green Coleus leaves are at the base of each flower.  Spikes of lily simulate grass with yellow & green Milkweed along the bottom.

Honey Bees:
Made with yellow Maple & Poplar leaves, gray Coltsfoot for wings, Brown aged Norway Maple leaves for stripes and legs.
 
As leaves & flowers are biodegradable and will fade and deteriorate quickly, original Art is scanned immediately after creation, preserving their beauty long after originals are gone.   Enjoy!