Isabella Akhtarshenas is a versatile artist and designer whose work strategically uses color and shape to evoke whimsical and lively forms. She experiments in various mediums including digital illustration, hand-built ceramics, murals, screen printing, paper-making and more. Childlike joy and wonder remain at the forefront of her creative practice. This is a consistent intention to inspire adults to be silly and embrace vulnerability. Isabella lives in South Philly while refining her craft by developing client work and personal projects. 

Press

Interview as visiting artist with Moon + Arrow (2021)

Gompers mural write-up on Generocity.org (2021)

Interview on Feminist Flea Market for Philly Gay News (2021)

PHL International Airport mural write-up on PHL.org (2022)

Art Education in Philly Schools for Mural Arts (2024)

Background

Originally from Northern New Jersey, Isabella has always been passionate about art and design. From a very young age, she consistently experimented with different mediums and methods of art making. She has always been intrigued by pleasant color interactions and balanced compositions. Her parents heavily encouraged her creativity, considering her mother is a skilled craftsperson and her father is an architectural hardware designer.

Education

Isabella moved to Philadelphia in 2015, where she studied graphic design and fine art at Drexel University. While living and working in Philly, she has picked up an abundance of new skills and inspiration. Besides graphic design, Isabella learned printmaking, woodworking, welding, and even gardening techniques at Drexel. She was involved in a work-exchange program at the printshop, and took on a role as the art director for The Smart Set. The Pennoni Honors College hired her after graduation to be the lead designer for their bi-annual magazine: Honor Bound.

In 2019, Isabella graduated and presented her senior thesis: The Plantable Calendar. Rather than immediately looking for full-time employment, Isabella was doing small-scale freelance work and applying for new opportunities, all while experimenting with passion projects and building Akhtarshenas Studios. She ultimately began working with Health Union as a Senior Production Designer a year later.

As of 2023, Isabella is self-employed.

Ceramics

Isabella started dabbling in ceramics in 2018 at The Clay Studio, where she took classes on hand-building, wheel-throwing and mold-making. She then began a weekly work exchange program at Blackhound Clay Studio until 2021. Now, she continues to experiment with clay at her in-home studio, and gets her work fired in the kilns at The Pottery Gym. Isabella hosts a monthly “Smoke-n-Sculpt” event at The Pottery Gym with studio owner, Ben Pee.

Murals

Since moving to the city of murals in 2015, Isabella had the goal of mural-making in mind. Post graduation, she pursued this dream by applying to every open call she could find. After receiving an abundance of rejections, she finally got the call from a Mural Arts representative with an offer to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goal series, sponsored by Global Philadelphia. This was her first mural, at Samuel Gompers School, inspired by SDG #4: Quality Education is a Human Right. This exciting project became a catalyst for more similar opportunities.

The art department at the PHL Airport reached out to Isabella in 2021, requesting a custom mural for Terminal F. She was given full creative freedom regarding the subject matter, themes, colors, medium and style. Her finished piece was intended to reflect the city of Philadelphia and received an overwhelming positive response.

In 2024, Isabella completed her third and fourth murals, one in Manayunk and the other at Edmonds Elementary School.

Process

Isabella is thankful to live in the digital age and have the privilege of creative software at her fingertips, but finds a great deal of peace through making things physically. Although paper making and screen printing may seem like antiquated processes, Isabella enjoys the detailed control involved in these processes from start to finish, as well as the character evident in handmade pieces. Isabella’s Moleskine notebook is essentially her sidekick, and she is always ready to jot down ideas, make lists and translate her thoughts into doodles. Her process typically starts out with a pen and paper, and can go anywhere from there, depending on the project. Isabella is currently taking on freelance projects and commissions while always refining her craft and working on personal projects.

Isabella continues to introduce herself to new mediums and methods of making as a result of consistently challenging herself to bring her ideas to life as tangible pieces of art.