This plant is from the family Asteraceae. They are endemic to Colombia Ecuador and Venezuela and grow at high altitudes on a very special ecosystem we call “Paramo”, known for being “water factories”. The colloquial or common name we give these beautiful plants is Frailejon, about a Fray or Monk (Fraile, in Spanish), because, at a distance, they look just like that. The areas of Frailejones have been declining dramatically in the mountains of Colombia and other countries and although they are protected by law, people still cut them down, burn them, to open space for potatoes, or use them as construction materials. I wanted to depict Espeletia sp. using dripping on canvas and some very colorful UV pigments.