A respected figurative painter, Coffey’s work in self-portraiture, landscape, still life and illustration of classical literature is based in an intense observation of her motif or text. She is an artist known for her ability to create beautifully wrought and expressive imagery from subject matter often deemed ordinary or mundane. Her works in self-portraiture are investigations of the iconic human head. This work is driven by questions about what a portrait image can mean. What is a beautiful appearance? Why do conventionally gendered images involve caricature? Can inchoate feeling-states be adequately portrayed? Coffey is also known for her landscape paintings. Like the self-portraits, these works are made from the direct observation of her motif. But unlike them these works are always painted at night. The subject of each “night painting” is chosen for the way it transforms during the hours of darkness. A gas station, parking lot, or cow pasture may…