Sunset in Cherry Grove
This is a chalk pastel inspired by the many sunsets I have had the fortune to experience in Fire Island, New York.
Still
Still is a watercolor that serves as a reminder that in the middle of my daily chaos, there’s stillness somewhere. I tap into that when things are particularly hectic.
Tina Chandna lives and works in New York City with her wife and two children, where she adds balance to her life by dabbling in the arts.
Peacocks are considered to be sacred symbols of healing, regrowth and rejuvenation in various faiths. I got an opportunity to be mesmerized and photograph this majestic and beautiful bird at the University of Arkansas Botanical Gardens in Hot Springs, Arkansas.
Same two nests, different seasons! Frozen nests in winter to being surrounded by beautiful flowers in spring to becoming homes to little chicks in the summer. I took these pictures at various time points between 2016 and 2019. I was very inspired by these nests as I found them to be a representation of the cycle of life – it’s not just the seasons but everything in our lives runs in cycles. The highs and lows of our lives leading to happiness and sorrow and happiness once again!
The Red Headed Woodpecker, photographed in our backyard in Little Rock.
The dazzling contrasting colors of this bird against the green backdrop is such a delight to eyes! Isn’t nature the best artist?
Sisira Yadala, M.D., is an assistant professor and director of the Division of Epilepsy in the Department of Neurology at UAMS.
Early in the pandemic I found myself thinking and feeling strong emotions. I was looking for a way to express them. My husband and I sat on our back deck in late March 2020 and I took these photographs. The lantern that looks like COVID was a failed Christmas craft attempt still hanging from the rafter in late March and was shockingly similar to the virus the world was facing. I was struck by the darkness and uncertainty that COVID had brought to our lives, but found hope in this bright version that fought off the darkness of night. As we talked, we lit more and more candles. It was if we were looking for hope in the light they provided. COVID is still with us but we continue to look for and find hope.
Wendy Ward is a Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and serves as the Associate Provost for Faculty and the Director of Interprofessional Faculty Development at UAMS.
By Het Adhvaryu
Perseverance
This picture was taken on my hike to the top of the Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park in Maine. It was a total eight-mile hike lasting over four hours with some friends in 20-degree weather, iced-up trails and chilly winds. Difficult journeys can be exhilarating when surrounded by people you love. It symbolizes the ability of humanity to persevere in adverse times like this pandemic and come through it stronger and better.
Sliver of warmth
Taken somewhere in Maine. This picture emphasizes how comforting and warm a little sun can be on cold, gloomy days. This is just like how far little acts of kindness and love can go.
Miles to go before I sleep – Robert Frost
Taken in Acadia National Park in Maine.
Light within us
Taken in Acadia National Park in Maine. To me this picture makes me think about how powerful light within us (from the lighthouse in this case) is when the sun is setting, waves are crashing in and dark clouds are setting in.
Het Adhvaryu is a Ph.D. student in Dr. Daniel E. Voth’s lab in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. He loves to think about big and small questions of life and when he is not doing science, he loves to play disc golf. Photography is also important to him. He enjoys capturing moments that can be cherished forever.
Title: The Other Side (Hurricane Creek Wilderness)
About: When you have to cross a creek, you always first check to see if a dry crossing is possible. If there’s not an alternative, you proceed with caution. Slow and intentional steps are your friends. When I took this picture it was a wet, knee-deep, and downright frigid crossing. But I got to the other side safely.
Chad Sievers, MSSW, is a Research Program Director in the Department of Psychiatry at UAMS.
I found this beauty while foraging through one of my favorite patches of woods in Pulaski County, Arkansas. The photo shows an unmistakable ear-shaped mushroom called Auricularia.
Though the mushroom comes in many shapes and sizes, I was amused at the uncanny likeness of my find to human auricles, which immediately remind me of that oft-quoted phrase, “If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there, does it make a sound?” Indeed, there would be a sound, but a listener would be required to acknowledge the thump in the forest. Whereas human auricles collect sound waves for communication and environmental awareness, the Auricularia mushroom fruits to spread its spores for reproduction and help with the decomposition of organic matter. Indeed, my appreciation for natural, biological processes continues to grow as an audiologist and a mycology enthusiast.
Samuel R. Atcherson, Ph.D., FNAP, is a Professor of Audiology and Speech Pathology and Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery at UAMS. He is also an Arkansas Master Naturalist located in Little Rock, Arkansas.
3D created image of a virus entering a host cell.
Xuwei Hou is a Researcher at the UAMS Department of Internal Medicine.
Nature is what we know—
Yet have no art to say—
So impotent Our Wisdom is
To her Simplicity.
(Excerpt from Emily Dickinson’s “Nature is what we see”)
During lockdown in March 2020, I began exploring film photography and the city I grew up in. I started spending more time in nature, hiking and hanging from trees. These past years have been tough on us. We live in a society that is fast-paced; society often goes on without us. We are told that time is precious and limited, so we should make the most of it and accomplish as much as we can, but in doing so, many of us lose sight of the importance of being present. So, this past year, I learned the importance of slowing down.
Shot on Minolta X-700 using 35mm Kodak 200 film.
Jeannie Kuang-Nguyen is a graduating fourth-year medical student at UAMS who will begin emergency medicine residency training at Kendall Regional Medical Center in Miami, Florida this summer.
