It’s as if nature arranged the most beautifully colored assortments of stones for the perfect photo.

But these detailed images aren’t actually photos. They’re pieces done by Ester Roi, an artist based in Southern California. Roi, who is also an inventor, spends a great deal of her time observing flowers and rocks in their natural environment, studying how they interact with water.

Roi creates nature-inspired compositions utilizing various oil and waxed-based drawing instruments on her invention the Icarus Drawing Board. The board features a heated surface of temperate glass that softens the materials allowing Roi to achieve the permeating colors of seamless hues in her work.

Roi begins with a coarsely sketched image, letting the colors slightly fill the crevices of the canvas paper, giving way to its texture. She then heats the medium allowing the waxes and oils to melt together, blending and burnishing as she goes, creating the illusion of water flowing and rippling over the surface of the stones.

Her works are exceptionally detailed, with reflections of the sky glinting off of each shiny surface. The colors appear to naturally flow, creating visuals that illustrate matchless technique and skill, impeccable in detail.

See a few examples of her process below..

View her website here