Krystel Sotero Bonilla was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Raised in the small towns of Juncos and Gurabo, she started her interest in art when she was 15 years old. While she was still in high school, she spent every Saturday at the “Liga de Estudiantes de Arte” (Art Students League) in Old San Juan. She learned how to paint under the tutorship of Betsy Padín, co-founder of the same league and the “Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico” (Museum of Art of Puerto Rico), besides taking lessons in drawing and photography.

After she was captivated and inspired by this old city, she completed a B.F.A degree in Art Education at the “Escuela de Artes Plásticas” (School of Visual Arts), located in the same city. During her four years at the School, she participated in several collective exhibitions, one of them being held in Mexico City. It was for this exhibition, in 2005, that she started to develop her colorful style of figurative painting, and to paint about her beliefs.

Though rejected many times because of her “religious” expressions, she has kept growing and exploring this theological approach. In 2008, she went to Kansas City for a year to fulfill a Certification of General Studies in Theology at the International House of Prayer University. After this, she has participated in different exhibitions in Puerto Rico, and recently in the United Sates.

Today, she is working in different areas of the art world; exploring with innovative ideas, projects, commissions, and she also teaches art to children and adolescents. While linking her continuing theological studies with her preparation in art, she uses the brush to “speak without speaking” about what she keeps learning every day. Krystel is currently studying Art Therapy and living in Puerto Rico, where her studio is located.