As a Nuyorican painter, my work bridges the vibrant cultures of Puerto Rico and New York City, exploring identity, memory, and belonging through layered narratives and bold visual language. Bendición, the title of my senior BFA thesis, reflects a traditional blessing passed down by my grandmother and prompts reflection on the blessings I carried growing up poor in Nueva York. I incorporate symbols like NYCHA buildings, the Puerto Rican flag, “I Love NY” slogans, and coquis, alongside personal touches like altars bearing my father’s name. Influenced by Frida Kahlo’s words, “Not fragile like a flower, fragile like a bomb,” I express emotional tensions—joy and grief, love and survival—through vibrant color, texture, and story. My paintings are both intimate and collective, honoring the legacies of my community while asking: what does it mean to be seen, and remembered?