It is all the same, drawing, painting, modelling, the irresistible desire to copy any beautiful object which strikes the eye. Why cannot one be content to look at it? I cannot rest, I must draw…”

— Beatrix Potter

A teenage Beatrix Potter spoke for me when she wrote these words about her fascination with the natural world. A compulsion she used in her wonderfully illustrated children’s books. Potter may not be considered part of the  true botanical sketching tradition nonetheless  she perfectly captured the desire I feel to draw, to record. 

I prefer to draw flowers  but I can just as well become enamored with insects, butterflies, fruits  even  leaves. The beauty and complexity of my subjects goes way beyond color. I want to show those  twists and turns of a petal,  the swelling of a flower bud,  the perfection of a water drop or the veining on a leaf. It’s all a wonder really.