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Paula Barrantes is a watercolour illustrator that brings the study of plants and their surrounding ecosystems to the center of her practice. After leaving her native Costa Rica to study in Canada, she went on to receive a BFA from San Francisco Art Institute. Her life has been a continuous exploration of the countries she has lived in as well as her artwork, the source of her self-discovery in these new settings.

Moving to Vancouver has given Paula the opportunity to further explore the themes of adaptation and immigration. Her current series involves the representation of air plants in an ethereal setting. She sees herself in these native plants of Costa Rica, flourishing in the places they inhabit despite never settling. The background of these paintings is alien to the natural subject, transmitting different moods in the same way that a new environment can make someone feel completely at ease or unaccepted. Paula’s illustrations express a love for the details of the natural world, which is the source of her inspiration and what keeps her grounded wherever she goes.