Cassie Rodulfa
(she/her) [BFA/BA Visual Studies & Education, 3rd year]
My creative practice is an exploration of my identity, using watercolour as a medium of self-discovery and psychological navigation. Visually, I confront my deep-seated anxieties surrounding self-image and body dysmorphia—instabilities that evolved from adolescence into adulthood. Dealing with these barriers in isolation as an only child created a fractured self-perception, worsened by my family’s standards. For years, my relatives pushed me into this corner of Eurocentric beauty standards, with expectations to remove my mole for being unflattering. By refusing to remove this mark, I rebelled and mentally resigned myself to their expectations.
Pieces, 2026.
The approach of this painting is to use my self-image as two unattached puzzle pieces. I did a graphite transfer on the Fabriano watercolour paper to help me draw the puzzle pieces accurately. Then, I did a wash of watercolour to block the shadows and build up layers. I experimented with various colours to make it vibrant.
The theme of this piece is identity; the puzzle pieces symbolize how finding and learning about myself is a process going back and forth, putting pieces together, whether they fit or not. Making this piece motivated me to self-reflect and re-evaluate. For me the unattached puzzle pieces are something that is not meant to be complete as a whole, but needs time and patience to come back to it unfinished, and to try again.
Pieces, Watercolour, 15" x 20", 2026.