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 still and covered every available surface with drawings of the Titanic, the blockbuster everyone was obsessed with at the time. And then there was little Gisselle in my kindergarten class, perhaps the sweetest of the three siblings. She was such a joyful, delightful child.

Over the years I came to know the whole Guerra family. Doña Mafalda ran Hostal Gemelos with a firm but loving hand. Her children became my friends, her grandchildren my students, and later my friends as well.

After graduating from Zamorano, the Pan-American Agricultural School, Carlos René transformed the family's coffee business into something Copán had never seen before. He elevated it to the highest level, became Honduras' best barista several times, won international awards, travelled the world, and eventually built the most beautiful café. If you ever find yourself in Copán Ruinas, Café San Rafael is an absolute must-visit, and to this day it still serves my favourite coffee in the world. And when Carlos started making his own cheeses, I loved him even more.

So it was a wonderful surprise when Gisselle contacted me to ask whether I would paint a portrait of Bruna as a gift for Carlos, who was heartbroken after losing his beloved companion. Of course I said yes. I poured my heart into this painting.

The moss-green background is a tribute to the walls of the very first Café San Rafael, where I once painted the signs. The lettering still feels so familiar. Around Bruna I added coffee blossoms, ripe coffee cherries, and roasted coffee beans—small details that tell Carlos' story as much as Bruna's. I finished the portrait while sipping the very last of my stash of Café San Rafael coffee.

Sending all my love to the entire Guerra family.

Below are a few photos from 1998–1999, with Carlos René and Gisselle—and, of course, a very young me.