The bougainvillea is one of those plants made for trivia quizzes because what look like flowers aren't. The colorful 'flowers' that range from pinks to reds to oranges are actually bracts (leaves) that change color. Inside these there's a tiny flower that you hardly see.
Bougainvillea leaves are quite transparent, so when you're viewing them against the light you see all the veins, stems, and shadows, which makes for makes intriguing shapes and patterns.
I visualise using this photo for a painting in two quite different ways. The first is the pink 'flower', with its shapes and variations in tone. The second is to focus on the stems and leaves.
Bougainvillea leaves are quite transparent, so when you're viewing them against the light you see all the veins, stems, and shadows, which makes for makes intriguing shapes and patterns.
I visualise using this photo for a painting in two quite different ways. The first is the pink 'flower', with its shapes and variations in tone. The second is to focus on the stems and leaves.