Hello Everyone,
Today I am going to paint an Althea flower on a Watercolor card and compare it to the one I painted on my Sept. 5, 2019 painting of the same flower on the Watercolor paper. They are both Strathmore 140 lb. cold press.
This video also has many painting tips. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed painting it.
Happy Creating,
Vicki
Hello Everyone, Every July I look forward to seeing the Althea bushes bloom in our yard. They last until I believe the end of Fall, or the later part of Fall.
In my video, I explain why this flowering bush means so much to me. I hope you are still enjoying your garden, then comes Fall, I’m equally excited about Fall – I love the colors and all it’s beauty.
Happy Painting,
Vicki
Hello Everyone, On a recent trip “Up North” Michigan we took photos of our favorite places and wanted to share a few with you.
Fudge in Frankenmuth
Frankenmuth
Frankenmuth
Looks like sunglasses on setting sun! – Frankfort, MI
Having fun on the beach
Kitesurfing
Kitesurfing by Frankfort lighthouse
Standing by the edge of the dunes
North Manitou Island in background
Grand Traverse Lighthouse
Big tree by lighthouse
Car show in Frankfort
We love the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and the surrounding area. We always enjoy the town of Frankenmuth on the way to Frankfort, and this year we visited the Grand Traverse Lighthouse north of Traverse City among other things.
The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore was voted the #1 most beautiful place in America in 2011 on Good Morning America. Tens of Thousands of viewers voted. The surrounding area is also so beautiful, we find somewhere or something new each time we travel the area.
I have taken so many photos on our trips. I have been inspired to paint some of these scenes and will continue to paint many more. Life can be so exciting, so much to enjoy.
I hope you too are able to travel to enjoy the many peaceful, beautiful, inspiring places there are to see in this world.
Until next time,
Vicki
Hello Everyone,
This basket design was so much fun to do! I love doing baskets, hearts, wreaths, floral arrangements; all with my pressed flowers I press in books. I’ve been pressing flowers since 1995.
89 “Basket of Beauty”
I remember so vividly standing in the middle of my garden, putting a pansy on a queen anne’s lace and thinking, this is nature at it’s best, thus, Nature’s Best Art was born August 1995. I thank God for all he has given me to do and taught me.
I’ve made six basket designs. Just for fun take a look at my Pressed Floral Art on our website and let me know which basket design is your favorite and please comment. If you are on my Artist Blog on our website you can click the title and it will show you where to comment below. If you are on my Artist Blog and want to befriend me on my Business Facebook page, please do: www.facebook.com/NaturesBestArtist and you can leave a comment there.
Hope you are enjoying your summer.
Happy Creating,
Vicki
Hello Everyone,
Our recent trip to the Nature Center in Troy, Mi. held many memories. Three of our four children grew up spending many Saturday’s there learning about nature, attending kindergarten through fifth grade as Junior Naturalists. How wonderful to remember the many hours spent there and the wonderful people we met.
This past Saturday was a special day there, a fund raiser for the Nature Center. It drew a huge crowd. Art was displayed for the fund raiser, there were activities for the children, and ice cream was enjoyed by many.
On our walk through the trails with our daughter and family we found what we thought was one of our son’s Eagle Project he completed years ago – a boardwalk for the trail. I was remembering and could picture all the excitement hauling the wood there and the many boys and parents who had helped him. As it turned out we were looking at the wrong boardwalk. My son and Tom looked up his old records and saw that wasn’t the one. Next hike there, we will go with our son so he can show us the location of the boardwalk.
On our walk there were many peaceful scenes of lush forest, rocks and water. We were happy to spot a deer. After a brisk walk we stopped to take a look at my Pressed Floral design, “Pink Lilies” displayed for the fund raiser.
Hope you also have time to enjoy the many beautiful sights of nature that is all around us.
Vicki
Hello Everyone,
Thought I’d take a break from painting my landscapes this week to get ready for a Mom’s Playgroup that I’m having at my home and another one I will be attending and helping with in a few days.
I volunteered to make a simple craft for these toddlers and preschoolers and make the snacks. They will simply add the clouds to the rainbow I made them. The other group of children will simply put the butterfly, ladybug, or dragonfly I painted for them on the sun catchers. I had fun making these sun catchers with old crayons and wax paper. Do you remember doing that when you were a child? They looked very pretty when I hung them on the window.
They will be taking a bag of snacks home and a few will get these cute wooden puzzles, (I used cookie cutters and markers for the designs and just used markers to color them). The other children will get these cards I made that will be fun for them as they are learning colors and numbers. I laminated them and Tom cut them for me. We then made round corners with our corner rounder.
For the snacks, I am cutting watermelon like sticks, making macaroni and cheese, and bought scrumptious blueberry and apple muffins at Ridleys, a local bakery in Troy.
I’m looking forward to spending time with my daughters, their children and friends.
Happy Creating,
Vicki
Hello Everyone,
This month I will be painting 16 x 20 landscapes which will take a lot of this month’s time. I’ve been wanting to do this for quite some time. I have started the first one and each day I can’t wait to pick up my brushes, it is so much fun. Just wanted to let you know that, as my posts this month will be something other than a “Let’s Paint” so I can accomplish my landscapes. I do have some interesting posts coming up though I think you will enjoy.
The first post for this month is of one of my favorite pressed floral designs.
98 “Butterfly Wonder” – Limited Edition Giclée print on archival cotton paper; 18 x 24″ frame size
Many of the flowers I pressed on the bottom of this design came from “Up North” Michigan. The butterflies are made of tulip petals, a rose, dianthus, and a carnation. See Pressed Floral Gallery for availability.
This picture is a limited edition print on archival cotton paper and framed in a beautiful 18″ x 24″ gold frame. Image size is 12½ x 16″ – outer mat is an embossed antique white rag mat, inner mat is a conservation “lizard” green mat, overall frame size 22 x 28″. This framed art sells for $185 plus tax & shipping.
Hope you are having a happy summer!
Vicki
Hello Everyone,
I just ate the most delicious peach. I don’t get them often, but I really enjoy a good juicy peach in the Summer.
This design was fun and easy. In this video I show you what I learned. Stepping back a moment to look at the whole picture after changing something in your design is important when painting. Most times you can correct something unless you add a color that is not easily liftable. I could have tried a magic eraser, but didn’t want to go through the trouble since this is only a Greeting card – it will make someone happy and I thought it doesn’t have to be perfect. However, if I was to make this for a painting I would have probably used a magic eraser, or added a napkin over it, or tried something to correct my mistake. I hope you are enjoying learning how to paint along with me or if you are just observing, I hope you enjoy these “Let’s Paint” videos. Let me know if you want to see more of them.
I am going to be thrilled the day I learn how to make audio & moving videos. One day that will happen. My son had shown me awhile ago, but I need additional lessons to remember how to do it! Computer work is challenging to me!!
Happy Painting,
Vicki
Hello Everyone, I love the perennials that pop up in the garden every year. Sometimes I plant a few annuals just to have constant color too.
It’s been raining so much, everything is growing so well. We’ve planted grass this year in our backyard, building the ground up a bit. Seems there is always something to do in the garden, it changes from year to year!
I thought it would also be fun to show you a picture of us on our 34th Wedding Anniversary and a picture of us on our honeymoon 34 years ago! Where has the time gone! It seems like we were just married actually, I’m not sure why!
Keep cool this Summer!
Happy gardening & creating,
Vicki
Hello Everyone, I had so much fun shopping for future products and much more. I thought it would be fun to share with you my “finds” for Nature’s Best and some personal things.
Loving this warmer weather – Summer is so much fun!
Happy Shopping & Creating,
Vicki