THEODORE, Ala. — Gulf Coast artist Louise Estes captures the beauty of flowers, plants and trees in what her Web site calls “botanical portraits.”

A selection of her paintings that capture many of the flower varieties found at Bellingrath Gardens and Home are on loan to the Mobile Arts Council (318 Dauphin St. in Mobile) for an exhibit through May 28.

The hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Admission is free.

Her naturalistic watercolors have been exhibited at the National Arboretum in Washington, D.C., the Arboretum at Cheekwood (Nashville), Callaway Gardens (Pine Mountain, Ga.), Bellingrath Gardens and many other galleries, as well as by organizations including the Garden Writers of America, Men’s Garden Club of America, the American Rose Society and the American Camellia Society.

“I try to paint the flowers botanically correct and paint from the blossoms themselves,” she said. “Others I might paint in a ‘washy’ style, not to be exact, but just because they are beautiful flowers.

“I paint flowers to capture their beauty so it can be enjoyed forever. I hope my paintings capture the beauty of God’s world and give pleasure to those who view them.”

Estes' painting of “Iris” was included in the Sixth International Exhibition of Botanical Art and Illustration at the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation at the Carnegie Mellon University, and remains in the permanent collection.

The American Rose Foundation has published prints of her paintings of the “Dainty Bess,” “Touch of Class” and “Europeana” roses.

Recently, Estes was named the official artist of the World Rose Society, and she has had an award-winning rose named for her.