By Manjusha Kota

I paint flowers and landscapes to bring beauty into my world and into the lives of my patients.

Manjusha Kota, M.D., is a Medical Oncologist-Hematologist who practices at the Kota Cancer Clinic in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

By Sharmilan Thanendrarajan

I made this photo in the War Eagle Cavern on Beaver Lake in Northwest Arkansas during our family vacation in 2020. It is one of the most beautiful caverns in Arkansas and providing access to a dark, mysterious and bizarre underworld and habitat. When our tour guide once switched off all the torchlights and illuminant resources in the cavern, it was completely dark. That was a stunning moment and indeed the darkest places I have ever been. The spot depicted on the photo is revealing a small place in the cavern where light accesses the cavern minimally and I thought in that moment, “you may find even in the darkest places some light.” Confidence and happiness can be found sometimes in the most desperate and hopeless situations.

Dr. Thanendrarajan is an Associate Profession of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology. He works in the Myeloma Center at UAMS. 

By Rushita Bagchi

This artwork is a mix of pour painting and acrylic multilayer painting. 

Rushita Bagchi, Ph.D., was born and raised in India, obtained her doctorate degree in Physiology and Pathophysiology from the University of Manitoba in Canada, and is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Denver, Colorado, USA.

By Stephanie Trotter

These images capture the fragile balance of life—the trials and the triumphs. Life’s storms ebb and flow. The wind may blow, the frost may settle, but eventually the storms recede. To be still is to know there is beauty found even in the tenuousness. Hope rises with each new sunrise; life is restored with patience and perseverance.

Stephanie Trotter, Ph.D., RN, is a clinical assistant professor in the College of Nursing, UAMS, and enjoys photography in her spare time.