Lois Trader
I did not set out to become an artist. My work emerged from a season of caregiving and profound personal loss, when creating became the only language capable of holding what words could not. What began as a quiet act of survival evolved into a disciplined creative practice rooted in reflection, resilience, and transformation.
My sculptures carry the emotional weight of lived experience. Built from found objects, natural elements, and layered materials, each piece honors both fragility and strength. I am drawn to the tension between sorrow and gratitude, fracture and wholeness, memory and renewal.
Though much of my work grows from deeply personal ground, it is not about autobiography alone. It is about the universal human condition — what we carry, what we conceal, and what quietly sustains us.
I live and work in East Tennessee, grounded by the enduring love of my husband, children, and grandchildren. Their presence reminds me that art can hold both grief and joy in the same breath.