Files
Download Thumbnail Sheet (39.1 MB)
Academic Level at Time of Creation
Senior
Date of Creation
Spring 4-17-2026
Artist Statement
conversations often leave me feeling stuck and misunderstood, as I grapple with a heaviness I can’t articulate. As a child, life felt vibrant, but now I find myself haunted by fragmented memories and a complex emotional landscape. This struggle drives my passion for creating art, particularly photography combined with mixed media elements. Through my work, I attempt to express the intense emotions I often can’t verbalize, using various techniques and materials to evoke feelings. Being Bipolar makes it challenging to articulate feelings of sadness or anger. By using different filters I can convey sensitivity, evoke memories, and convey time. I enhance my photographs by integrating other media, such as transferring images onto fabric or wood, or using them as parts of a larger assemblage.
My artistic process is deeply hands-on. The labor involved is a source of pleasure for me, providing an escape and a chance to immerse myself in process. Since I struggle to remain still, the ability to move around and interact with my materials is vital. Working with cyanotypes is most satisfying, where I can engage in mixing chemicals, coating paper, and soaking fabric. My approach is evolutionary; beginning with a single idea that gradually transforms through various iterations until I feel it’s complete.
I admire the sculpture of Petah Coyne. She combines wax, artificial flowers, and taxidermy to create stunning, eerie installations that express tension between vulnerability and aggression. Her use of taxidermy makes me uncomfortable, but that's somehow calming to me. Anne Risum is a Danish painter and alternative photographer whose work creates fictional landscapes, like dreams or memories half remembered. She crafts cyanotypes by layering negatives and experimenting with ink, toning, and fire, giving her work a haunting beauty and sense of nostalgia. I have also drawn inspiration from David Hockney, Lori Vrba, Bicheng Liang, Yixuan Shao, Natali Bravo-Barbee, and Marianne Laes. Each of these artists have influenced the way I form my work and has provided me with ideas to explore and incorporate into my processes.
Beauty is formed in different ways; sometimes it can simply be the opening sentence to draw people in. I struggle so much to have a conversation, but through my work, I can create one. I want others to be able to have a conversation with themselves as they view my work.
Advisor/Mentor
Michael Martin, Sarah Martin, Cintia Segovia Figueroa
Description
My Blue, Cyanotype on Fabric, 173” x 69 ½”, 2025
As long as you love me., Cyanotype, 77” x 80 ¼”, 2026
Alexithymia, Long exposure Photo on Wood, 58 ” in x 59 ¾ ” in, 2025
Procrastination, Photo Collage, 77 ½ ” in x 84” in, 2025
How I see, Photo, Foam flowers,suncatchers, yarn, 2026
Discombobulated, Long exposure Photo on Wood, 62” x 70”, 2026
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Bolanos, Isabel, "Amour Fati" (2026). B.F.A. Practicum Exhibition (ART 498). 167.
https://digitalcommons.murraystate.edu/art498/167