Bruna & Coffeee
Bruna, acrylics on paper. 21 x 27.9 cm (© Carin Steen) 2026 This is a memorial portrait of Bruna, who has sadly crossed the Rainbow Bridge. I only wish I could have met this beautiful girl. Bruna belonged to a family that means a great deal to me. While painting her, I realised it has been 29 years since our lives first crossed. How time flies. Back then, I was living in Honduras, in the small but wonderful town of Copán Ruinas. How I ended up there is a story for another day, but I found a job as a kindergarten teacher at a small bilingual school in a simple wooden building, right across from the famous archaeological park. Besides teaching my own class, I also taught art to some of the older students. That's where I met Carlos René Guerra, a kind and quiet boy in Grade 6. His younger brother Emilio was in Grade 4—or at least I think so; it was a long time ago! He was every bit as sweet as Carlos, but definitely not as quiet. Emilio simply couldn't sit ...
