Painting 01: Sampaguita x Mayang Pula — Devotion Meets Devotion
I thought I was simply painting a sampaguita. But somewhere along the way, this painting became a story about home.
I'm Glaiza, a watercolor artist, and I've always been drawn to flowers. I find joy in creating. Painting gives me peace, calms me down, and makes me happy. I like taking my time with each piece, and watercolor continues to teach me patience and remind me that not everything has to go according to plan.
Lately, I've found myself wanting to explore something closer to my roots: the flowers we've grown up with and the stories they carry. And this painting became the beginning of that journey.
Why Sampaguita?
I remember seeing these tiny white garlands everywhere as a child. Sold outside churches by vendors who had been there since before sunrise—a small offering of something pure, something fragrant, something that felt closer to the sacred than words could manage. They hung by jeepney mirrors, swaying gently as the engine rumbled, and were worn around the neck at graduation, when someone you love places one over your head and suddenly the proudest day of your life smells like sampaguita.
Such a small flower. Such a simple bloom. Nothing about it shouts for attention. But that fragrance. It doesn't ask permission or quietly fade into the background. It fills every corner of the room and stays long after the petals are gone.
That's always been the quiet power of sampaguita. It doesn't need to be grand to be unforgettable.
Beyond being our national flower, sampaguita reminds me of devotion, purity, and humility. It's a flower I've come to associate with prayer, celebrations, and so many familiar moments in Filipino life. I wanted to capture not just its beauty, but also the memories and feelings that make it special to me.
Why the Mayang Pula?
I didn't want this painting to be only about the flower. I wanted another familiar Filipino presence to share the space with it.
The Mayang Pula.
To me, it represents the resilience, simplicity, and adaptability I associate with the Filipino spirit. I think of the quiet strength it takes to make do with what we have, find our place, and keep going.
I brought these two together because I wanted them to meet in a story, even if they weren't meant to meet in nature.
Devotion Meets Devotion
For me, the sampaguita represents devotion, purity, and humility, while the mayang pula represents resilience and adaptability. They're different, but I see a connection between them. One reminds me of the love and faith we express through the little things we offer to others. The other reminds me of the strength it takes to carry on through life's uncertainties.
Both have a quiet kind of strength. Neither needs to be grand to be meaningful. And perhaps that's what I wanted to express through this painting: how much meaning we can find in the simplest things, and how these familiar little things can say something about who we are.
The Filipino Flower Language
The Filipino Flower Language is a watercolor collection exploring the flowers, memories, and meanings woven into Filipino life.
As I grow older, I find myself wanting to look deeper into my roots. I don't want to forget who I was or where I came from. I want to learn more about the things that have always been around us, including the flowers we may have grown up seeing without really thinking about their significance.
I want to explore these flowers not just as botanical subjects, but as pieces of our memories. Some remind us of childhood, family, celebrations, or places we've been. Others carry traditions and meanings passed down through generations.
I hope these paintings will bring back memories for Filipinos who have lived abroad for years, introduce younger generations to flowers and traditions they may not know much about, and give others a glimpse into the beauty of our heritage.
This is only the first painting, and I'm excited to see where this collection takes me.
I'd love to hear your stories, too. Is there a Filipino flower that holds a special memory for you? Maybe one you remember from childhood, one that grew in your hometown, or one that reminds you of someone you love. I'd love to know what makes it special to you.
Thank you for being here at the beginning of The Filipino Flower Language.
— Glaiza
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