Joan Cox

Last Night in Butcher's Hill

Oil on canvas

“'Last Night in Butcher’s Hill' portrays a long-term butch/femme couple in a cozy Baltimore café on the eve of their move to Finland. Warm intimacy contrasts with a wintry cityscape outside. Floral wallpaper, bare trees, and expressive brushwork echo enduring queer love, cherished roots, and the courage to step into the unknown together....I choose paintings or photographs that depict male/female couples and replace both figures with women, although some of the women are very androgynous looking. Blurring the lines between female and male identities makes gender distinctions more ambiguous and challenges viewers’ expectations."

— Joan Cox

About the artist

Joan Cox

American

For Joan Cox (b. 1969), painting is a way to render tenderness, queer love, and personal memories visible and eternal. Based in Baltimore, Cox has spent over two decades making the intimate lives of lesbian couples visible on canvas. Her vivid colors, energetic brushwork, and layered symbolism weave together personal experience with broader political and emotional truths.

Cox holds a BFA from Towson University and an MFA from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design’s Low-Residency program in Provincetown. Her recent solo exhibition, “Side by Side,” was held at Towson University in June 2025. She also exhibited at the inaugural “Immortal 25” queer art fair in Mexico City. Her work has received international recognition, including 2nd Place in the Women United International Art Prize and selection as one of the VAA100 Top International Artists in 2025.