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.

For Anese Eun Cho, a lighthouse is not just a symbol. It is a structure made of light that lets you be fully visible without walls, fully protected without hiding. In this interview, she talks about childhood portals, strangers who stayed until sunrise, and what it means to transform pain into something that gives others hope.