Did Rabindranath Tagore name Chameli Rama­chan­dran after the jasmine flower foreseeing her lifelong association with nature? Unlikely. But glimpses of such a chord were on display at Ramachandran’s recent show, Roots to Petals, Peaks to Sea, at Gallery Rasa in association with the Vadehra Art Gallery. In a world where conceptual art is à la mode, Ramachandran’s artworks are both a rarity and refreshing.

Deft brushstrokes in the most diluted of ink and watercolour washes lend an ethereal quality to her flower and nature studies. Mostly isolated against a white background, her nature studies celebrate the beauty in the minutiae of the natural world. Take, for instance, her orchids: each petal has striated highlights to indicate the leathery texture of the petals, rendering depth to the flatness of the medium. This is especially difficult to achieve given that she often works with just one colour for per piece.