Flower and Bee wall art

Jeremy Wortzman had always been more of a quiet genius type—the kind of guy who could turn a pile of mismatched wood scraps into something so charming it made you say, “Wait… you made that?” He wasn’t big on fanfare, but his garage smelled like cedar and creativity, and that was enough for him.

One spring, Jeremy got the idea to make a piece of wall art inspired by the buzzing chaos of his backyard garden. He loved watching the bees flit around his sunflowers like little winged commuters late for a pollen meeting. So he thought: What if I capture that moment?

He started with a backdrop of spalted maple—light, swirly, full of natural character. For the flower, he used thin slices of padauk and yellowheart, each petal cut and sanded by hand until they looked like they'd just unfolded in morning light. The bee? Oh, the bee was special. He carved it from walnut, with tiny inlaid stripes of maple, and used a hint of epoxy in the wings so they shimmered like real ones in sunlight.

And because he couldn’t help himself, he gave the bee a tiny smile.

He hung the finished piece in a local coffee shop for an upcoming art fair, expecting nothing more than a few nods of appreciation. But within days, it had its own fan club. Kids would point and buzz like bees. One woman teared up and said it reminded her of her grandmother’s garden. A barista named it “Buzzy Bloom” and made a latte art version that, frankly, didn’t quite capture the majesty—but A+ for effort.

Jeremy smiled through it all, quietly amused. His favorite part? The fact that every time someone looked at it, they found joy in the little things—just like the bee, just like the garden.

And maybe, just maybe, they left with a little more buzz in their day.

(Made by Jeremy Wortzman for In The Kitchen Contest)