Medium: Oil and Charcoal on Canvas
Date: 2020
Dimensions: 30″ x 30″ x 1.5″

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Devan Marín

Statement:
This piece revolves around my convoluted relationship with family, specifically my adoption. My adopted last name, Marín, is Spanish for ‘of the sea’. Therefore, a lot of my work revolves around water and how it relates to my newfound family. The oil painting on top is a depiction of an ocean wave, as it is taking over the charcoal drawing underneath. The drawing portion represents my old life, and the chaos and pain that came with it. I chose to depict this as fire, as it is not only the polar opposite of water, but it is devastating, terrifying, and ruthless.

While you can clearly see the ashes of my former life underneath my current self, there are moments where it is completely taken over by the waves, as if the water is literally washing it away.