Withered Fountain

I found and was moved by this image of migrants in front of a water-less fountain being deported from a checkpoint on the border wall between Mexico and Texas. This image was accompanied by the caption:

Honduran asylum seekers sent back to Mexico from the U.S. under Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) pass the time at a makeshift encampment near the U.S. port of entry at the Gateway International Bridge in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico on Aug. 24, 2019.

I painted this image to spotlight the struggles of migration and the doubt associated with accessing daily essential needs like food, water, and shelter. Artistic influences were employed from Paul Cezanne’s studies on light and Diego Rivera’s works on the Mexican Revolution.