Marin Burnett
Series Title: “She’s me”
Marin Burnett said, “As Black women, we are often seen exactly as our viewers would like to see us. We are often relegated to a vacuum as if time froze around us. We are seen as though who we are ‘now’ is who we have always been. We were never children. We were never vulnerable. Never broken. Never whole. The entirety of our story is ignored because we are only snapshots, frozen in time. But we WERE children. We have a history. Perhaps this is why we cling too tightly to our ancestors. Because the world would rather forget our past; our innocence. Some of us innocent… full of wonder and joy. Others ‘old souls’ … as if we walked the earth in a past Life. This series is meant to depict Black women, and those that identify as women, as they are and as they were. By reminding our onlookers that our timeline started well before we passed through your field of vision.”
Marin Burnett was born in Summer of 1980 in New York City and has degrees in political science and public policy from Williams College in Massachusetts and The George Washington
University. She has never received formal training as an artist, instead turning to art for solace and catharsis. To escape from a stressful career Marin started painting at age 25 – first in acrylics, now in soft pastels, charcoal, oils and mixed media using handmade papers and bespoke patterned fabrics as a way to set the backdrop, mood and meaning of her portraits. What started as a casual hobby quickly became a passion for creating. Marin turned to portraiture about 9 years ago and now uses portraits to capture the souls of her subjects and tell stories about their history, struggles and joys. Capturing a likeness is not just rote reproduction, but a challenge to put the uniqueness of each person’s humanity on display.
Marin is currently the Chief Administrative Officer for the Department of Natural Resources and Parks for King County and lives in Renton with her husband (Erik), son (Dominic) and fur baby Cricket Blue.
Website: www.marinalexisart.com
On Instagram: @m.a.artist
Virtual Artist Talk with Marin Burnett
Thursday, April 18th 12pm PST
On Wa Na Wari’s Youtube and Facebook
www.youtube.com/@wanawariseattle3432