There's nothing more inspiring than nature. For centuries, artists have used the beauty and splendor of nature to inspire them to create all kinds of artwork. Some artists, though, get a little deeper into nature, using natural materials like leaves, twigs, and flowers instead of pencils and paint to create their images.
By turning beautiful objects like these into new shapes and scenes, we can appreciate their colors and textures in all new ways.
You may think that using flower petals and leaves might be limiting compared to using paint, but it's really amazing what different styles different artists can achieve using the same materials.
We saw the quirky and inventive scenes created by artist Bridget Beth Collins earlier, and now we'll see what happens in another artist's imagination.
Sister Golden is a mother-daughter art and design team that creates, among other things, beautiful images of Mother Nature in various forms using nothing but carefully balanced and arranged twigs, leaves, flowers, and other natural materials.
The flower images, as well as the other handcrafted items, are made by Mom, Vicki, while her daughter Brooke handles the marketing.
Check out some of the beautiful flower portraits below and learn how Vicki creates them, as well as some of the philosophies behind them!
[H/T: BoredPanda]
Mother-daughter team Vicki and Brooke make up Sister Golden, a boutique specializing in handmade items including jewelry, scarves, and home decor.
Vicki, the mother half of the duo, creates these images by carefully arranging natural materials like petals, leaves, seeds, and twigs.
Nothing you see here, including the lines of the face, are drawn in any way.
The lines are actually small stems and twigs that have been carefully chosen for their shape and size.
Furthermore, everything is simply laid out on Vicki's work surface.
"Nothing taped, nothing glued, just Mother Nature balancing delicately on itself," she says.
To create these images, Vicki starts by creating the face out of twigs, then layers the petals, leaves, and other items to create hair, clothing, jewelry, and other accents.
She takes her inspiration for her Mother Nature portraits from various places.
This daisy Afro seems '70s inspired, while other portraits take cues from Frida Kahlo and even Buddha.
But because nothing is taped or glued, that means that these images only remain as photos. The actual arrangements don't last.
"After I finish a piece, I document it with a photograph, being very careful not to bump the table," she explains.
"The last step is to recycle it all back into the Earth or into my next piece."
"There's a freedom is knowing everything I'm doing is temporary," she adds.
For her materials, Vicki uses items she finds fallen in the woods and parks, as well as cuttings from her garden.
And she doesn't just create portraits! She can make just about anything out of a carefully arranged collection of flowers.
Vicki also encourages others to try this fresh art form. Just be careful to only take leaves and flowers that have already fallen if you're not on your own property.
You can also see her other creations on the Sister Golden website, as well as on Facebook, Pinterest, and Istagram, and you can even pick up a print of one of these flower portraits.
Be sure to SHARE these pieces of art with anyone looking for a new way to create!
