"Bandera del Paraíso" print

 As a non native resident of Puerto Rico I believe it is very important to learn about the complex history from long before we arrived. A past with much pain, struggle and… resilient beauty. I make art in an attempt to understand some of this history better myself and paint the beauty that I see in everyday life around me.

The Puerto Rican flag was designed in 1895 to promote Puerto Rican Independence from Spain. The red stripes representing the blood from the warriors, the white stripes symbolizing peace after gaining independence, the light blue triangle representing the blue sky and the Caribbean Sea- the white star the island. Later the blue of the flag was changed to a darker blue to mirror the blue of the American flag. 

When Puerto Rico became an American territory the flag was outlawed. For a period of time Puerto Ricans were actually imprisoned (by the US government) for flying their flag and supporting independence up until 1952…
 
My artistic interpretation is a bit different focusing on the beauty of the island, the beautiful flowers, the historic buildings and the sparkling tropical water. I specifically chose the lighter turquoise blue of the first flag because I appreciate the meaning behind it. 
 
This 9"x12" print on Epson enhanced matte paper was created with love and great care in my home studio using my fine art Epson printer and genuine Epson ink. These prints feature a 2" white border around them to give you options while framing.

A second hand embellished option is also available. The same 9"x12" print is hand embellished using metallic gold paint to enhance the print in many ways to make it a one of a kind piece of art.