Second Sunday's Best Painting

Corey McGovern is a Charlotte- born, Charleston- based fine artist whose work blends emotional realism with playful, narrative storytelling. She is known for expressive portraits of both people and animals, each piece created with honesty, humor, and a little edge. Her artistic roots began in the tattoo world, where Corey spent eight years learning discipline, precision and the foundations of portraiture and line work. Those earlier years shaped her understanding of expression, anatomy and visual storytelling- skills that naturally evolved into the contemporary fine art she creates today. Corey's journey has been entirely self-taught, a true trial-by-fire shaped by grit, resilience, and figuring things out the hard way. Now creating from her studio in Charleston,Corey continues to build a body of work that merges technical realism with emotion and personality. Whether she is painting a child mid-expression, a soulful old pup or a whimsical character, her goal is always the same: to create art that feels REAL.