Melba Craven grew up in Brunswick, GA, and attended Tift College in Georgia. Electives in high school and college were always art courses even though she was pursuing a degree in nursing. She married, had four children and followed her husband as he pursued a career in aerospace. They moved to Fernandina from California in 1989. When her children grew older she began painting professionally. Primarily a watercolorist, her works range from impressionistic florals to landscapes. When her husband retired they began to spend summers in Montana so a few western paintings show up from time to time. She considers herself a self-taught artist although she has studied with Robert Fee, Carolyn Price, Barbara Renfro and Sue Hardin. She is a member of the Jacksonville Watercolor Society. Her paintings are in corporate and private collections in the U. S., Canada and Europe.