Ocean Dreaming by Costa Rican painter Olga Saenz

This 70×100 cm (27×39″) “Ocean Dreaming Costa Rican painting depicts a sleeping woman with a blue face, evoking tranquility and dreams of nature. Costa Rican artist Olga Saenz, known for her pointillist and dreamlike expressionist style reflecting the wild forests and beaches of her homeland, contrasts light brown, green, orange and red hues.

Twirling hair frames the blue visage, eyes closed peacefully, as we imagine this aboriginal spirit dreams of the rainy and dry seasons in Costa Rica’s Northern Pacific region.

The blue skin tone resonates with nostalgic longing for the ocean, the beaches, and the overall serenity of the natural world. Sáenz spent her life immersed in the vibrant ecosystems of Costa Rica, able to capture native imagery and themes in a unique style that blended abstraction with realism. This reflects the larger tradition of aboriginal art in Costa Rica, where pre-Columbian influences intersect with modern interpretations.

There is a timeless quality to this woman’s face, representing ancestral connections to the land, sea, forests, and creatures of the Central American wilderness. The swirling colors hint at biodiversity and cycles of climate along the Pacific coastline. The blue is the blue of the ocean; the light brown and orange reflect sand and sunlight; the red and green depict vegetation in different seasons. This is the inner world of Costa Rica’s indigenous heritage.

While abstract, we can feel the subject dreaming of walking along the beach, blessings of rain after months of dry heat, birds taking refuge in the canopy, and an overall sense of belonging as a custodian of the ecosystems rather than just an observer. Sáenz follows other Costa Rican artists showcasing native plants, animals, landscapes, and cultural symbols with contemporary styles that keep tribal traditions alive. Her paintings transport viewers into peaceful visions of sanctuaries that modernization threatens to disrupt. This work connects us to forgotten ways of existing in harmony with extraordinary habitats.