Flamboyán on 413, Puntas

Things  have been rough on the Island since Hurricane Fiona hit and it seems  everywhere else in the world has not fared much better. We simply live  in times of great turmoil that make a retrograde of Mars seem like  child’s play. 

I wanted the first  painting I posted to be one of hope and joy and nothing quite embodies  this as much as the Flamboyán. A symbol of great pride for the Island,  this magnificent tree is disguised as a humble legume hard to tell apart  from the varies Acacia and invasive Ipil-Ipil trees that often surround  it. 

Come summer - as all the  tourists flee the oppressive heat and incessant rain of the wet season -  it sheds its finely bi-pinnate leaflets and explodes into a celebration  of color. While all other plants are dressed in solid green the red of  the Flamboyán’s five petaled flower has an intensity that has no equal.  The tree gives its gift of color with such generosity that the bloom  resemble foliage and surpass the latter in density.  Not a branch is  left bare. 

Originally imported from Madagascar the  tree has become a symbol of pride in Puerto Rico. Resistant to the  ravages of Hurricanes as well as drought, indifferent to Termites it is  also a symbol of hope always being the first thing to perk up after  devastating event. Planted for its ability to give shade with the  umbrella like crown the tree is finally associated with rest for the  wary traveler.

I hope this image  restores your soul a little. I found working on this painting  therapeutic. I hope a little of this plant’s magnificent restorative  powers carries through in the painting. I think its going to be a  magnificent winter and great season to be in Rincón! Wepa!