ARTIST STATEMENT
My work explores the space where trauma and resilience collide, where survival itself becomes an act of defiance. I paint women in moments of pressure, silence, and distortion, but never defeat. In today’s political climate, where women’s autonomy is under attack, these themes feel especially urgent. “The Bond” speaks to the restrictions placed on women — by law, by tradition, by fear. The rope represents all the unseen forces that bind us. I use symbolic realism to express the complexity of being a woman now: how we carry wounds, how we endure, and how we refuse to disappear. These are not just portraits of struggle — they are declarations of presence.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Lori McCoy is a self-taught, award winning painter based in Nevada whose work merges hyperrealism with surreal symbolism to explore themes of trauma, control, femininity, and survival. Her paintings often depict women in states of quiet intensity, restrained but not broken, silenced but still watching. Having faced instability and loss early in life, Lori’s perspective is shaped by a deep understanding of what it means to fight for one’s voice. She brings emotional depth and honesty to each piece, creating images that speak to the tension between vulnerability and strength, how we endure, and what it costs. Her figures are not victims; they are witnesses, fighters, and testaments to resilience. Lori’s work invites viewers to look past the surface and into the private battles women carry, battles that are personal, political, and ongoing. She believes art should not only reflect the world, but challenge it.
© Lori McCoy