Within These Walls

Artist Statement

“Within These Walls”, reflects on the effects of feeling disconnected or alienated from family and friends while living in a nursing home. By capturing the remnants of the human presence reflected in each subject matter left behind within the interior of nursing homes, the viewer can reflect on the emotion each image expresses, the pain of being alone as an elderly person living in a nursing home.

In many cultures outside of the United States, the young have often taken care of the old and frail for many years. Perhaps, at one point Americans were able to care for their loved ones as they aged. Unfortunately, as time has passed Americans have become more and more involved in busier lifestyles. We can look toward advancement of technology and the ever-growing borderless world where one can choose to live anywhere in the world, which in turns creates jobs miles away from home and away from our aging mothers, fathers, grandparents, and everyone we hold dear.

Nursing homes have been around since the early nineteen hundreds, solely designated for the elderly population after family members were unable to care for them and for those who had the financial resources to be placed in such a home. Nursing homes should be a home away from home, a place to heal from a temporary illness. Unfortunately, they are referred to as sterile and not home like, a place of sadness and loneliness.

Illnesses triggered by loneliness has resulted in about 43% of the adults reporting feeling lonely at least some of the time. Research further indicates seniors feeling lonely have a 59% greater risk of mental and physical decline. “Within These Walls” aims is to bring awareness to these staggering numbers of aging adults that are suffering from loneliness and isolation. By encouraging families to reconnect and take the time to visit their loved ones with the hope of reducing the mortality rate and improving the quality of life they are experiencing while living in a nursing home.

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Fences

“Fences”

Xerox Image Transfer, Blender Pen Transfer, Beeswax on Cold Press Paper

Throughout my life, I have experienced many significant transitions. Like most people, some have brought joy while others have brought profound challenges. I immigrated from Panama to New York City at the age of nine, married at seventeen, became the mother of three sons, experienced divorce, lost my father, and later found myself navigating the demanding journey of completing an MFA in Photography.

These experiences have created a roadmap of who I am today. Along that journey, I have often relied on forms of emotional containment—barriers that allow me to continue moving forward while carrying the weight of the past. Rather than building walls, I have built fences. Fences are permeable; they are tall enough to hold difficult emotions while still allowing space to look through, look in, and look back.

Fences is a fine art, linguistically based self-portrait series that explores memory, vulnerability, and the ways individuals compartmentalize life experiences. Through the photographic documentation of fences—ranging from modern structures to weathered barriers on the verge of collapse—the work becomes a metaphor for the emotional boundaries we construct to protect ourselves.

The images are presented in a deliberate and balanced manner, often centered and isolated within the frame. This formal approach creates a sense of quiet reflection and realignment, inviting viewers to consider their own barriers, memories, and methods of healing.

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On The Fence

Cyanotype

Street Photography

Travel

Cemetery II

Cemetery

Homeless

Cross Road

Artist Statement

“Cross Road”

Have you ever driven past a roadside memorial and wondered about the story behind it? Why is it there, and who is being remembered?

Cross Road explores and documents a cultural ritual that transforms ordinary intersections and roadsides into sacred spaces of remembrance. These memorials honor lives lost suddenly and unexpectedly—whether a pedestrian walking alongside the road or someone driving home after a long day, never to arrive.

This body of work examines how we, as individuals and communities, cope with loss and preserve memory. Roadside memorials become lasting markers that connect the living with those who have passed, standing at the final place where a life intersected with the physical world.

Through photography, Cross Road seeks to raise awareness about the consequences of distracted driving and the fragility of life. By bringing attention to these often-overlooked memorials, the work encourages viewers to reflect on loss, remembrance, and the importance of mindfulness behind the wheel.