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Artist calls upon Mother Nature to craft stunning artworks out of twigs and flowers

Nothing taped, nothing glued, just Mother Nature balancing delicately on itself. That's the thinking behind these beautiful artworks by Chicago-based artist Vicki Rawlins who spends a lot of time outside walking and foraging for the materials she needs to create them.

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A drawn face with defined features adorned with a colourful crown of fresh flowers including roses, sunflowers and gerberas, with small painted hummingbirds positioned beside it, all created from foraged natural materials

From little buds and petals to twigs and leaves, Vicki uses anything she can find from every square inch of her surroundings. She explains: "A fallen leaf goes into the bag, later it may become an eyebrow or dog ear. I pick up thin twigs, hoping they’ll work as a cheekbone or chin. The possibilities seem endless!

"Once back in my studio, the twigs go down to form the face. Sifting through fresh rose petals, I’m in search of the perfect pair of lips. Next, being very careful not to sneeze, I use my tweezers to place the white petal of a German Statice as the finishing highlight in the eye. There’s a freedom in knowing everything I’m doing is temporary."

After Vicki finishes each piece, she documents them with a photograph, being very careful "not to bump the table and Mother Nature’s house of cards". She then recycles everything back into the earth. She adds: "Everything you see in these portraits came directly from the earth. It's my way of paying respect to Mother Nature in a sustainable way. Anyone can try this at home! Forage your neighbourhood for fallen bits or do some snipping from your own garden, find a flat surface, and see where it takes you!"

If you love her natural artworks, you can purchase flower prints and greeting cards from Sister Golden – an online shop by Vicki and her daughter. Or follow them on Instagram for more natural inspiration.

Via direct submission | All images courtesy of Vicki Rawlins

Drawn female face wearing sunglasses and pearl necklace, surrounded by an elaborate halo of white flowers, daisies and foliage arranged without adhesive
Hand-drawn face outlined with twigs, adorned with pink ranunculus, white daisies, purple statice and succulents, with pink lips and closed eyes
Illustrated face with delicate features outlined in ink, hair and facial contours created from scattered earth-toned materials, with a small green succulent flower placed at the crown
Vicki Rawlins' portrait made from colourful flowers arranged as hair, twigs forming facial features, and a green patterned garment, with the figure making a peace sign gesture
A portrait made from natural materials shows a face with yellow curly hair, white petal eyes and brown lips, surrounded by a brown knitted hood, with dried flowers and twigs arranged around it against a dark background
Portrait made from natural materials including white and blue flowers for a winter hat, dried leaves for curly hair, and twigs arranged against a dark starry background with a moon and miniature landscape
Profile of a face formed from dried petals and twigs, with golden leaves as hair and a bee perched near the eye, surrounded by scattered botanicals on white background
Line drawing of a face decorated with fresh flowers and foraged materials, including orange petals on the crown and purple hydrangeas at the bottom
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