This is a portrait of a man named Sandalio. It was done in the style of Diego Rivera and the composition is based upon his 1941 painting "Self-Portrait Dedicated to Irene Rich." 

I included different symbols to represent the life of Sandalio. He was very proud of his Puerto Rican heritage and the calla lily flowers in the background (a direct reference to the works of Diego Rivera) have Puerto Rican machete symbols as their spadix or pollen stems. On his shirt is a stylized design of the flor de maga flower which is Puerto Rico's national flower and is also known as the Puerto Rican hibiscus. His shirt button is based upon a Taino Indian tattoo design of a small indigenous frog the coqui. This design is also a symbol of the island together with the sun and is one of the most popular Taino symbols. Taino Indians are indigenous to the Caribbean Islands. The great island, Puerto Rico, and its people are referred to as Boriken.

The other design on his shirt is a stylized version of the Korean Service Medal with a Bronze Star from when he served with the 19th Infantry during the Korean War.

The most important symbol on the painting is the flower on the small piece of paper Sandalio holds. It is a gardenia which was the the favorite flower of his wife Eugenia and I have used it to represent her. For this I chose the gardenia absolute, for I thought it appropriate. 

Oil on Canvas 24" x 30"