Deya Thorin

Artist Biography:

I was born into a colorful world. From the lush, green mountain towering above my brightly painted city, to exotic flowers and magical fruits, to the deep blue Atlantic Ocean, vivid colors saturated my views every day. As a child I was exposed to art as I walked through the street markets and saw shops with paintings and carvings and handiworks of all kinds. They were full of color and filled me with love and hope. It inspired my child’s mind to want to create. This was La Novia del Atlántico on the Amber Coast of la Isla Hispaniola, also known as Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.

My parents could not provide me with art supplies, but one day I was walking in a rich neighborhood and saw, in the trash that had spilled, a few broken crayons. I took them home and created my first little work of art. Soon the word got around that I was an artist and kids at school and my neighborhood would pay me to make their art homework for them.

I first painted in 1987 after my husband gave me an oil set, complete with a beautiful box and easel made of wood. My first paintings were of images of my island. Soon after this our first child was born. Time flew and five more babies came. I had precious little time for painting, so my art went to a place in my mind called Someday.

Someday arrived and I started to experiment with my paints. Something unexpected happened – I fell in love with abstract. It gave me such freedom and excitement! Thinking of holding a brush produces a feeling from the tips of my fingers though the brush and to the canvas that cannot be described. As weird as this may sound, I can often hear music as I move across the canvas with my brush. And sometimes I hear a voice that says, “Go on, don’t be afraid.”

My name is Deya Thorin and I am an artist.