Sam McCoy was born and raised in Orlando. She is a contemporary painter who focuses on the boundaries between natural and hyperreal landscapes of Florida. She pulls her inspirations from a place where spectacles and roadside attraction dominate America's tourism capital. Between eco-tourism destinations and constructed gardens, McCoy explores the contradictions of her experiences in these places. By pulling back the metaphorical curtain on a carefully crafted image of Florida, McCoy’s ideas of disenchantment and re-enchantment are enacted in each painting.
McCoy received her BFA from the University of Central Florida and her MFA from Florida State University. Currently she the Director of Exhibitions and Featured Wildlife Artist at Thomasville Center for the Arts, and Instructor for the Interior Design and Architecture at Florida State University. She continues to work in her home studio in Tallahassee frequenting picturesque springs and roadside citrus stands.
2024