Marisa DeLuca

Short Bio

Marisa DeLuca (She/Her) is an artist working in painting, drawing, and photography. Her practice examines time, memory, nostalgia, and systemic inequality. Marisa comes from a background of community engagement through nonprofit service in the arts sector. She is founder and President of the nonprofit Artists in Solidarity, an artist collective that raises funds for migrant families through charity art auctions. Marisa is a San Diego native based in Oceanside, California and received her BA in Visual Arts (Studio) from UC San Diego in 2021. She is currently pursuing her MFA at San Diego State University's School of Art + Design.

Statement

Meditating on my home, Oceanside, California, I explore notions of impermanence in physical spaces, asking questions about the future of the region. In conversation with original source photography, my practice makes connections between reality, illusion, and intuition. This body of work explores memory and temporality, and the powerlessness one experiences navigating endangered urban spaces that are subject to the homogenizing force of gentrification.

I am most interested in honoring the everyday in my paintings. Elevating the simple and melancholy of the mundane as something worthy of meditation has become a cornerstone in my work. I find beauty in impermanence and a pre-nostalgia when painting these scenes, that the rusty sign or defaced, cracked wall will be missed when it’s stuccoed over. Color plays a role in my work as a conduit of emotion. At times it’s the lack of color or subtlety of hue. This work deals with complex emotions that often cannot be put into words.

Shining a light on inequity, exposing the truth about living standards, and documenting a moment in time are common themes throughout the trajectory of Social Realism. Continuing my work in that vein I place myself in art history as an artist representing life as it is. Examining the impermanence of life, the beauty of imperfection, and the humanistic quality of life’s evidence in these spaces are functions of these paintings.

This work is in some way an attempt to take power back and preserve that which is being lost. As these spaces disappear, I feel an urgency to document them before they are gone. Using original photographs as an initial means to capture these disappearing moments, my work pushes against photography to create a deeper conversation between existence and nonexistence. This work also pits reality and memory against each other, asking which is true.

The translation of photography and emotion into paint is an intuitive process. There are times when a photograph does not fully express the meaning of a moment in time. My emotions around this body of work are difficult to put into words. Using a nonverbal visual language, my intuition guides my artistic decisions. The viewer’s intuition is engaged as they try to untangle my work and find their own connections. The work becomes a conduit for sharing the human experience.

The passage of time, the preciousness of passing moments, and the inherent beauty found in things that are real are important concepts for my work. The personal narrative woven into this work goes beyond my experience as an Oceanside local. Spaces that are damaged or show traces of history reveal a beautiful visual story. One’s scars, both internal and external, tell a rich narrative that develops character.
 

Resume / CV

Marisa DeLuca (b. 1984)

Education
2025 Master of Arts, School of Art + Design, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA (forthcoming)
2021 Bachelor of Arts, Summa Cum Laude, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA

Selected Exhibitions
2022 OMA Art Auction, Oceanside Museum of Art, Oceanside, CA
2022 Inspire the Youth Scholarship Fundraiser, En Mi Palma, Oceanside, CA
2022 Made in California, Brea Gallery, Brea, CA
2022 Celebrating Women's Month, The Catalyst, Stockton, CA
2021 Neighborhood Friendly, Visual Gallery+Design, San Diego, CA
2021 Community Reveal, Resilience 760, Oceanside, CA
2021 A Night Under the Stars Gala, Lived Experiences, San Diego, CA
2021 Let’s Connect, Uniqo, Stockton, CA
2021 Art in the Time of Corona, Dab Art Co., Los Angeles, CA
2021 Second Annual Auction for Migrant Families & Children, Artists in Solidarity, Oceanside, CA
2021 Wounded Deer, 3rd Eye Gallery, Sacramento, CA
2021 In Bloom, 3rd Eye Gallery, Sacramento, CA
2021 Shades of Red, Backfence Society, Vista, CA
2021 SDMA Artist’s Guild Juried Summer Exhibition, San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego, CA
2021 Since We Last Spoke, 3rd Eye Gallery, Sacramento, CA
2021 UC San Diego Studio Honors Annual Exhibition, Adam D. Kamil Gallery, La Jolla, CA
2021 Or No Side, Adam D. Kamil Gallery, La Jolla, CA
2021 #Obsessed, Ashton Gallery @ Art on 30th, San Diego, CA
2021 Share Screen, Adam D. Kamil Gallery, La Jolla, CA
2020 Auction for Migrant Children and Families, Artists in Solidarity, Oceanside, CA
2020 29th Annual Juried Exhibition, Athenaeum Music and Arts Library, La Jolla, CA
2020 Picture Partay, Charity Auction, San Diego, CA
2020 Artists for Black Lives, Charity Auction, Los Angeles, CA
2020 Womxn of the World, UC San Diego Women’s Center, La Jolla, CA
2019 Persona Unknown, Adam D. Kamil Gallery, La Jolla, CA
2018 Annual Student Exhibition, Palomar College Visual Arts Department, San Marcos, CA

Awards and Honors
2022 Brea Gallery Made in California Guest Juror's Award
2021 Rising Arts Leaders' Supplies for Artists 2021 Grant
2021 Resilience 760, Permanent Collection
2021 San Diego Museum of Art Artists’ Guild, Fourth Place Award
2021 UC San Diego Triton Research & Experiential Learning Scholars Spring Award
2021 UC San Diego Triton Research & Experiential Learning Scholars Winter Award
2021 UC San Diego Sixth College Provost’s Honors
2021 UC San Diego Visual Arts Honors with Highest Distinction
2021 UC San Diego Latin Honors – Summa Cum Laude
2020 UC San Diego Triton Research & Experiential Learning Scholars Fall Award
2020 UC San Diego Visual Arts Endowment
2020 William H. Stout Scholarship
2020 Doris Hendren Memorial Scholarship
2020 Erwin-Jordan Single Parent Scholarship
2020 UC San Diego Sixth College Provost’s Honors
2019 Route 78 Rotary Club Scholarship
2019 Palomar College Dean’s List
2018 Hal and Carol Needham Scholarship
2018 Palomar College Foundation Scholarship
2018 Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Club Scholarship
2018 Palomar College Dean’s List

Publications
2022 Art in the Time of Corona, Featured Artist, Dab Art Co.
2021 UCSD Season of Thanks Postcard Series, Featured Artist
2021 Okay Cool Magazine, Featured Artist, Issue No. 4
2020 Untitled 106A, Selected Artists, UC San Diego Faculty Self-published

Lectures and Speaking Engagements
2022 The Creative Brew Podcast, Featured Artist, Podcast, Online
2021 San Diego Museum of Art Artists’ Guild, Featured Artist Speaker, La Jolla, CA
2021 34th Annual UC San Diego Undergraduate Research Conference, Presenter, La Jolla, CA
2021 UC San Diego Studio Honors Open Studios, Presenting Artist, La Jolla, CA
2021 Outside:Inside Radio, Season 2/Episode 1, Featured Artist, Podcast, Online
2018 Palomar College Student Success Ceremony, Keynote Speaker, San Marcos, CA

Experience
2022 Designer, Painter, and Project Manager, Loads of Dignity Mural, Lived Experiences, Oceanside, CA
2022 Studio Assistant/Watercolorist, HIT (Human Intelligence Task), Danielle Dean, La Jolla, CA
2021 Participating Artist, Open Forum/Interpersonal Focus, Group Practice, Los Angeles, CA
2021 Resident Artist, Backfence Society, Vista, CA
2021 Logo Redesign Committee Member, Oceanside Unified School District, Oceanside, CA
2021 INA Grant Peer Review Panelist, California Arts Council, Sacramento, CA
2021 Studio Assistant/Watercolorist, Amazon (Proxy), Danielle Dean, La Jolla, CA
2021 President and Auction Organizer, Artists in Solidarity, Oceanside, CA
2020 Watercolorist, HIT (Human Intelligence Task), Danielle Dean, La Jolla, CA
2020 Founder, Secretary, and Auction Organizer, Artists in Solidarity, Oceanside, CA
2019 Teaching Assistant, Professor Hwang “Bo” Kim, Palomar College, San Marcos, CA
2019 Volunteer Educator, ArtQuest, Oceanside Museum of Art, Oceanside, CA
2018 Volunteer Educator, Literacy Through Art, Oceanside Museum of Art, Oceanside, CA
2018 Visitor Services Volunteer, Oceanside Museum of Art, Oceanside, CA

Media Links:
Outside:Inside Radio Podcast - April 2021