Friday Inspiration: Lisa Kokin

November 9, 2012

Last month Matt and I and our friends/neighbors across the street went out to dinner in Mill Valley. We went to Bungalow 44 which was a cozy and hip spot to dine on a Saturday night. We went to celebrate our friends birthday. When we arrived in town, parking was hard to find so we wound up in a little lot next to the square in the center of town. As we walked up the street to go to the restaurant, we saw an art gallery, The Seager Gray Gallery, with people milling around inside. As Matt and I looked in, the art seemed really interesting and since the gallery was open and we were a little early for our reservations, we popped in.

I’m so glad we did!

As we started walking around and looking at the art inside I peered down to see the name of the main artist. I had to do a double take because I totally recognized the name. I thought for a minute why and then it hit me. I had been receiving emails from the artist for months. I somehow had made it on her email list, I still don’t know how, and have been semi-checking out her work as the emails came through, but honestly, I haven’t been looking to closely because if you had asked me before walking in to that gallery what type of work she did, I wouldn’t have known. I couldn’t believe how unaware I had been over the last months because I absolutely LOVED her work. It was intricate and thoughtful and incredibly detailed. All of the things that I love in an artist. As we wandered through the gallery looking at her work, I was struck at how much I liked each piece. The main body of work on display was a combination of woven thread and wire that created intricate patterns and details, and then there were a few pieces that were all constructed together with buttons and other found objects.

As we walked around we saw other artists pieces that were interesting as well, and one that reminded me of an artist I had seen in the Susan Cummin’s gallery that used to be in Mill Valley years ago. I wound up talking to Donna Seager, the owner/partner of the gallery we were in and she told me all about the artists that she was representing. It was a really wonderful experience and I enjoyed looking at and talking about art, something I hadn’t done for a while. Before we left, Donna told me to take a flyer for the workshop that Lisa Kokin was having in the upcoming months. I took one but knew I probably had an email about it somewhere in my inbox at home.

I was so inspired that night by what I saw that I emailed Lisa and signed up for the Thread workshop in December. I can hardly wait! I’ll be sure to let you all know how it goes and until then, here’s a taste of Lisa’s work. It’s pretty incredible and so varied, yet all with an underlying connected feel.

(All images taken from the Lisa Kokin website)

Fauxliage No Birds Sing