Vividly colored portraits of children and families by Nicole Cotten Callac hang in many Baton Rouge homes, but for the cover of inRegister’s December 2020 issue, we called upon the artist to capture a concept rather than a specific individual: “Women with a Cause.”

What defines a “woman with a cause,” and how could that definition be conveyed in a single image? For the cover of this special issue in which we focus on local women who put the needs of others before their own, Callac sought input for her creative process from her students at The Dunham School, where she teaches art. Their wise-beyond-their-years words—“courageous,” “fearless,” “passionate”—were the launching point for Callac’s cover creation.

Click on the video below to hear more about Callac’s painting process and to see just how the artwork came together from start to finish.

And learn more about Callac’s art on her website here.