Andrea Pro Cards-6 pack

The Hawaiian Honeybee Series woodcut prints by printmaker Andrea Pro were commissioned by Big Island Bees to share the story of our relationship with honeybees in producing our unique honey from three of Hawaii Island's most nectar-rich trees. The team at Big Island Bees carefully tends to about 2,500 hives, transporting them during the various flowering seasons to 'ohi'a forest, macadamia orchards and wilelaiki thickets to gather the nectar that is transformed in the hive into our signature honey.

The three cards shown here represent the three kinds of honey that we produce.

In the image "Gathering Lehua" the 'i'iwi bird, a Hawaiian honeycreeper, and honeybees gather nectar from the brushy lehua flower of the endemic 'ohi'a tree.

"Macadamia Buzz" represents the beauty of strolling through the macadamia orchard during flowering season, hearing the humming buzz of thousands of honeybees gathering nectar to deliver to their hives. This woodcut print captures the muted atmosphere of the orchard with the Pueo as a quiet sentinel. Pueo is the Hawaiian native owl that is occasionally spotted hiding in the macadamia trees.

"The Beekeeper" is an homage to the 1568 drawing of the same title by the Dutch artist Pieter Bruegel. In this Hawaiian version, Andrea recreated Bruegal's distinct composition and added modern day beekeeping implements and technology. The tree is modified slightly to evoke the Wilelaiki tree; the palms in the upper left corner are a feature of the Kohala wilelaiki bee yard.

Andrea Pro is a revered printmaker living in Kona, Hawaii.

“My art is really about conveying the essence of Hawai‘i that often goes unnoticed,” shares Andrea. Amid the bright plumeria, ginger, and plethora of imported plants, the more modest ‘ōhi‘a, wiliwili, koa and ‘ilima donʻt always command admiration. “It’s my passion and job description to notice, learn and share about these important species,” says Andrea.

For more about Andrea Pro and to see more of her art,  please visit https://andreapro.com