Botanical observation: Flowers that continue inhabiting the gaze
- Eveli Rayane
- May 26
- 2 min read
Botanical observation has transformed the way I reconnect with species, because whenever I encounter a flower I have already painted in watercolor, the feeling is never the same as a first glance. There is something different about these reunions, as if that species now also inhabits the paper, the memory, and the process of observation.
Often, the encounter awakens the desire to return to the study. Not because it feels unfinished, but because observation itself continues to change. A new detail always appears: the shape of a leaf, the direction of the light, the transparency of a petal, a shadow that had previously gone unnoticed.
I have felt this especially with the Jitirana. Whenever I encounter it again, I realize that some parts continue calling me back, especially the leaves. It is as if the drawing still remains open to new observations.
And perhaps that is exactly what fascinates me most about this process: the study never truly ends completely.
Before the drawing, there is contemplation. The moment of finding something beautiful, of observing the color, the movement, noticing whether there is aroma, texture, or delicacy in the way the flower occupies the landscape...
Then comes discovery. Many times, I encounter species I do not yet know, and I begin a quiet search for identification and understanding, turning to books, published materials, botanical records, and research that help bring my gaze closer to the observed species.
Only then do I begin the studies.
For a long time, I went directly into watercolor. Today, graphite has become part of this path as well.
Beyond becoming its own artistic language, graphite studies have helped me observe more deeply the light, shadows, contrasts, and structure of plant forms and I realize that this also transforms the watercolor itself.
The gaze becomes more attentive, more confident, and more aware of areas of light, the untouched spaces of the paper, and the delicacies that need to remain.
Perhaps that is why every reunion with a flower I have already painted carries such a specific emotion, because after drawing it, you never look at it in the same way again.
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