About Elizabeth Gorcey: Multidisciplinary Artist and Actress
Elizabeth Gorcey is a versatile multidisciplinary artist, well-known for her impactful work as an actress, director, writer, and contemporary oil painter. Gorcey gained recognition for her memorable performances in iconic films such as *Footloose* and *Teen Wolf*. She has also directed significant documentaries, including *How Old is Old* and *Just Another Man’s Story*, and authored the award-winning children’s book series *Liv On Life*, in collaboration with her daughter.
Through her paintings, Elizabeth explores the complexities of the human condition, aiming to spark conversations about aging and the often invisible experiences of marginalized communities. Her poignant documentary *Adopting Ginny*, which tells the story of a 62-year- old woman with disabilities adopted by her family, gained notable attention when featured on CNN and adapted into a play by the head of the Yale School of Drama.
Elizabeth’s children’s book series, *Liv On Life*, celebrated as a best holiday gift for kids by *People Magazine*, seeks to nurture confidence and kindness in children by encouraging families to embrace authenticity. Passionately involved in philanthropy, she founded the nonprofit art program Caring Strokes for HIV+ Children, becoming a community liaison for LAC+USC Medical Center, supporting disadvantaged and HIV+ children and teens. She has received grants from organizations such as Cultural Art Affairs and Mattel Toys to provide essential resources for these children and promote their artistic expressions through exhibitions and greeting cards.
Elizabeth’s journey as a painter began in childhood, often drawing and painting beneath her mother’s desk. Her talent was recognized early on when she won an award for her watercolor, *Chinese Tea Pot*, displayed in the New Jersey State Museum at just ten years old. Her work has since been exhibited in esteemed venues such as the Oceanside Museum, Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Yerevan Modern Art Museum. Notably, one of her pieces was chosen for the cover of the New York Presbyterian Magazine.
Residing in Los Angeles, Elizabeth Gorcey remains committed to her artistic endeavors, believing that creating is nourishment for the soul and urging others to express their unique voices.
Elizabeth Gorcey
Artist Statement
I have always been deeply affected by the human condition—the way we experience ourselves, each other, and the world as we move through it. From a young age, I was sensitive and empathic, often absorbing the emotions around me as if they were my own. It was overwhelming at times, not knowing where those feelings belonged or how to hold them. Over time, painting became the only way I could make sense of it. It isn’t just something I do—it’s something I need. I paint because I must. I often paint over my work, again and again, and many of my paintings hold layers beneath the surface—traces of what came before, still present yet unseen.
I remember once starting a painting of a woman lying in the grass. It felt calm, almost still. But in the middle of working, a friend told me her son had died—he was in a two-seater Cessna, doing tricks in the air on the Fourth of July. In that moment, everything shifted. The painting couldn’t stay what it was. It turned into something else entirely—a figure tearing their heart out, the colors darkening, thick with red, like something spilling over. It became about grief, shock, something unbearable breaking through. That happens sometimes—the work changes because life interrupts it. When I witness the state of the world, I feel that same weight, that same heartbreak, and it compels me to create. When I witness the world, I feel its sorrow, its fracture, its humanity, and I carry that into the work. Through it, I hope others might recognize something of themselves—that they feel seen, understood, and less alone in what they hold.