Felicita Devlin: State of the Art

BY KENDYL COUNTS AND CHARLIE BLODNIEKS

Wispy strands of hair hide the whimsically abstract face of a girl who appears to have been broken and pieced back together; despite the meticulous reassembly of the shards, she is not quite the same, leaving pieces of the image unaligned and unmatched.  Lines weave into concentric shapes, forming shadows to shade in the planes of her face. Her cheekbones are sunken in, her face beautiful but hollow.  In the fragments of the shattered mirror her own eyes glare back at her, stoic and distant.  This colorless kaleidoscope portrait of a girl with a pleading stare is the work of Cooper City High School Senior Felicita Devlin.  With a simple pen and paper combination, she passionately illustrates the things in life that had previously seemed indescribable, capturing sentiments in a sketchbook and labyrinthine concepts on canvas.

From a young age, Devlin’s interest in art was highly evident. She attributes this fact to a very artistically-encouraging upbringing; her mom interwove crafts into Devlin’s childhood frequently. As a little kid, she would sit in front of the television for hours watching drawing tutorials her mom brought from the library. It was in that atmosphere that she learned to draw faces and bodies, common elements which persist in her artwork today.

“When I was little I started getting a few awards for [art],” Devlin said. “After that I really started getting into it, and I’ve stuck to it to this day.”

Devlin’s transition to middle school, however, disturbed the peace.  In addition to the other trials and tribulations faced by the average pre-teen,  she began to notice an unrelenting nervousness bleeding into her daily life. When financial hardship and other strenuous circumstances hit her family, a new dimension of distress was added to her everyday. Overwhelming thoughts of self-doubt and worries plagued her mind, making it almost impossible to function at times.  Even the most mundane of situations have the ability to cultivate nagging worries that escalate alarmingly quickly.

With an unsurprising correlation to the feelings of nervousness she had begun to experience, Devlin was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder, or GAD. The mood disorder affects the way the brain responds to situations. Though clouded with worries and irrational ruminations, sufferers can usually see through the fog enough to know that what they’re experiencing is irrational; however, the realization isn’t always enough to break the pattern. While everyone experiences anxiety, living with an anxiety disorder is a completely different challenge.

“I’m starting to be treated so I can feel better about myself,” Devlin said. “I’ve struggled for it for years and I just want to feel better about myself because it’s hard. It really is. And it sometimes takes over you to a point where you can’t really think and your emotions are so extreme and it’s scary.”

Through spontaneous design, Devlin has found a creative way to express her sometimes overwhelming emotions. Her time spent sketching and painting proved therapeutic, and remain so even now.

“I like the tranquility and the content I feel when I draw,” Devlin said. “I have a lot of anxiety; I’ve always had anxiety my entire life – and drawing and painting, honestly, is my escape.”

Devlin’s style of art has evolved over the span of her life, and she’s tried her hand in everything from portraiture to landscapes. Her sophomore and junior year were spent fine-tuning those skills, as she worked on perfecting a 24-piece portfolio in Honors and AP Studio Drawing. Devlin’s work was sent to College Board, earning her an exemplary score of a five.

In Devlin’s concentration (a series of 12 pieces that explores a single artistic theme), she truly found her voice. Marked by unique line exploration, Devlin’s pieces are nothing short of breathtaking. Through the use of interweaving pen marks, Devlin creates a narrative of building beauty from chaos – a message she delivers with finesse. While it might appear that careful planning was involved in creating such intricate pieces, Devlin prefers a more spontaneous approach.

“I pretty much try to … first focus on my subject matter, and after that I deal with the negative space,” Devlin said. “I winged it the entire year. When it comes out that way I always enjoy it more than if I sketched it and planned it out, because sometimes it feels so artificial when I do that.”

In discovering herself, she’s unearthed a yearning to make the world a better place. This year, she was elected president of CCHS’ Future Educators of America, where she strives to make a difference in the lives of children. FEA’s program Teen Trendsetters has allowed her to read to grade school children, and help invoke a passion that can change lives.

“I love helping people,” Devlin said. “It’s great to help them, because afterward they’re so happy and they actually start to love reading. It’s a great feeling and a great experience. I love it because you get a connection with these kids and you want to give them a better future.”

In regards to her own future, Devlin aspires to turn her passion into a career.

“I really want to do freelance [art],” Devlin said. “But at the same time, I do worry about my future, like how any other person does.”  

Fortunately, many other opportunities have presented themselves to her.  Currently, Devlin plans to major in Graphic Design and minor in Illustration at the Savannah College of Art and Design, a school to which she was pre-accepted.  Her interest in environmentalism also offers up a possible career path, with industrial design standing out as a way to ensure a brighter future through sustainable product creation.  Ultimately, she simply wants to make the world a better, more welcoming and accepting place, and intends to use her art to do so.

“I hope that people can look at my art and realize that, yes you can convey your emotions and yes you can talk to people about it,” Devlin said. “[My goal is] to create a better future, and for future generations to come and embrace who they are.”