“La Canción Verde” refers to the song of Puerto Rico's native frog, el Coquí. It’s also the name of a popular children's fiction novel written by Doris Troutman Plenn. Pepe Coqui, a tiny tree frog, travels from his home in a Puerto Rican sugar cane field to New York City to see the world of many colors he has heard about. His adventures lead him to find the real power of his singing voice but ultimately ends up realizing that he’s missing an important part of who he is. After many years, he returns from New York's tough weather to his beautiful Puerto Rico. As he feels the warmth of the night, he hears the song of other coquís welcoming him back home. He feels complete again for the years to come. 

I’m that little frog that hasn’t returned home. I left my people, landscapes and beloved traditions 8 years ago to pursue my studies as an artist. I didn’t realize it at 19  but I left a large part of what made me who I am. Living in New York and making these pieces for the last four months has allowed me to re-discover the beauty and richness of my own culture, of my own history. I started this body of work with the intention of only making paintings of my family. My mother was the first one, my grandparents came next, then my aunt. I continued to make portraits that displayed a truth of who my family were. Yes, a truth, because none of us are merely one thing. Painting them brought me to portray the stories they told me growing up, which was the most gratifying and entertaining thing I’ve ever done. 

Asking so much about my family's past got me determined to continue to find snippets of who I am by looking more deeply at my people’s history. The research for new references led me to discover incredibly interesting people that loved Puerto Rico just as much as I do. Including botanical illustrations by Agustin Stahl from 1833, reinterpreting Francisco Oller’s work and coming across an unforgettable moment of victory from Marisol Malaret, the first Caribbean Miss Universe.  All icons that represented PR at some point in time through their discipline. Every piece in this show speaks about a part of Puerto Rico’s rich history. Through these works, I want to bring light, not only to my dear family but to the complexities of our traditions, our heroes, our resourcefulness, our servitude and our relentless ambition.