Tatyana Grechina, Life Underwater, 5 × 7 inches, oil on canvas, 2026.

The spider plant that lived on our kitchen table in a glass jar had the most beautiful underwater biome. Its roots sprouted long, leggy leaves that never rotted and only seemed to grow greener and more beautiful. They spilled over the edge of the mason jar, but more than anything, they created a magical forest inside the body of the jar that was mesmerizing to me.