Massachusetts-based artist Sarah Valinezhad speaks with Create! Magazine about her research-driven practice centered on Iranian women's lived experiences, the emotional weight of interior spaces, and why she sees painting as an act of witnessing rather than representation.

Suzanne V Paddock didn't set out to become an animal painter, she arrived there through grief, isolation, and a household that grew to nine cats and a dog. In this interview, the Virginia-based oil painter talks about what her pets have taught her about trust and social dynamics, how a devastating loss during the pandemic realigned her sense of purpose, and why the most meaningful moments in her work are the ones that are easy to overlook.

San Francisco Bay Area artist Chelsea Tikotsky paints the moments we almost miss, golden light on water, a shift in the sky, the quiet magic of a landscape at dusk. Working primarily with a palette knife, she builds richly textured oil paintings that move between serene landscapes and lush botanicals, each carrying its own emotional register. In this interview, she reflects on the experiences that shaped her practice, the literature and films that inspire her botanical work, and what she hopes to explore next.

Studio artist Robyn Palescandolo (signed R Palesca) finds the extraordinary in everyday objects, painting with a quiet intensity rooted in minimalism and classical technique. In this interview, she reflects on her years running a painting retreat in rural Italy, the tension between precision and spontaneity in her work, and what draws her back to figurative painting next.