How Costa Rican Trails Creates an Inspiring Workspace with Local Art and Creativity
Last month, we unveiled our headquarters expansion—1,000 square feet of new office space, including dedicated Zoom rooms, workspaces, a team kitchen, and an outdoor area (read here if you missed it).
If you’ve seen our photos, you probably noticed our walls are filled with art.
That’s because celebrating Costa Rican artists is a passion for our owners, Mauricio and Wilhelm—and an important part of our commitment to sustainability.
"We wanted our office to be more than just a workplace—we wanted it to be a source of inspiration. Surrounding our team with incredible Costa Rican art brings creativity, culture, and energy into our daily work.
It’s about creating an environment where people feel inspired, connected, and proud of the space they work in."
Over the years, we have been curating a collection of remarkable Costa Rican art. Our collection features works by Mauricio Ortiz, Leonel González, Dino Urpí, John Paul Fauves, Fausto Pacheco, and Osvaldo Sequeira.
Their work brings color, culture, and creativity into our space, highlighting Costa Rica’s landscapes, traditions, and artistic heritage.
This collection supports local artists and reflects our values, creating an inspiring environment for our team.
Today, we want to feature some of the works that hang in our headquarters.
Meet the Artists Bringing Creativity and Culture to Our Workspace
Dino Urpí
Dino Urpí, born in 1990 in San José, Costa Rica, is a multidisciplinary artist blending ritual performance, costume design, installation, and painting.
A 2012 graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art, his work explores themes of identity, transformation, and mythology. Urpí has exhibited internationally, including at the Royal Botanical Gardens in the UK.
His art is deeply influenced by nature, folklore, and spiritual traditions, creating immersive experiences that challenge perceptions and evoke introspection.
John Paul Fauves
John Paul Fauves, born in 1980 in San José, Costa Rica, is a contemporary artist renowned for his provocative works that challenge societal norms and explore identity.
A student of Joaquín Rodríguez del Paso, he spent 15 years mastering his technique before gaining international recognition. Fauves’ art blends vivid colors and distorted imagery, merging abstraction with cultural symbols to question mainstream culture and social media’s influence.
His exhibitions span the United States and Europe, including shows at Guy Hepner Gallery in New York and Imitate Modern in London.
Fausto Pacheco Hernández
Fausto Pacheco Hernández (1899-1966) was a self-taught Costa Rican painter, photographer, and engraver who was born in Heredia.
A prominent figure of the 1930s’ “Generación del 30,” he is celebrated for his luminous watercolors and oils depicting rural landscapes and adobe houses, capturing Costa Rica’s essence.
Pacheco’s art, often devoid of human figures yet rich in cultural symbols, has become emblematic of national identity.
He also contributed as a drawing instructor at the Escuela Normal de Costa Rica and the Universidad de Costa Rica’s Escuela de Bellas Artes.
Fun Fact: Our headquarters has a special connection to Fausto Pacheco Hernández. Before the building became home to Costa Rican Trails, the painting was a mural on the wall of the house—the only mural he did in his career.
This painting is part of the inventory of the Costa Rica Museum of Art. This is the most valuable artwork in our collection. It honors both the house’s history and Costa Rica’s artistic heritage.
Osvaldo Sequeira
Osvaldo Sequeira, born in 1969 in Turrialba, Costa Rica, is a multidisciplinary artist who is celebrated for focusing on the human figure and its expressions.
A graduate of the University of Costa Rica’s School of Fine Arts, he co-founded the Santa Gráfica art academy in San José, where he also teaches.
Sequeira’s work has been exhibited internationally, including a notable exhibition at the IDB Staff Association Art Gallery in Washington, D.C. In 2019, he received the National Visual Arts Award Francisco Amighetti in the bidimensional category.
His art often portrays figures in dense, anguished environments, reflecting everyday life and human emotions.
Florencia Urbina
Florencia Urbina is a Costa Rican artist known for her bold use of color and thought-provoking compositions.
She studied painting and drawing at the University of Florida and art history at the Brahma Tirta Sari Institute in Jakarta, Indonesia.
A member of Grupo Bocaracá, a groundbreaking Costa Rican art collective, Urbina has played a key role in challenging traditional artistic norms. Her work features striking contrasts—bright, explosive colors set against subdued backgrounds—exploring themes of irony, corruption, duality, and the relationship between humans and their environment. She also highlights the harmony of the animal world, drawing inspiration from her travels, cultural experiences, dance, music, and symbolism.
Urbina has exhibited her work internationally, with solo shows in Spain, London, Guatemala, and Costa Rica, and group exhibitions across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. She has twice won Costa Rica’s prestigious Aquileo J. Echeverría Painting Award (1992, 2005) and has received multiple honors at international biennials. She also served as director of the Costa Rican Art Museum.
Mauricio Alfaro (Costa Rican Trails owner)
Mauricio Alfaro is passionate about painting, and several of his works are proudly displayed in our office. Among them is a collection of paintings featuring pineapples (a universal symbol of hospitality, warmth and welcome).
Mauricio wanted to create a series representing his home—Costa Rica, a tropical country—and what he has dedicated the last 30 years of his life: hospitality.
