Artist Spotlight: Lisa Kokin
When I first wrote about Lisa Kokin, I didn’t know about asemic writing. Then last year I did a post on asemic writing and realized much of her work is the absolute epitome of it!
With the word-like marks and page-esque backgrounds of her work, it’s natural to go in for a closer read. I remember being delighted when I realized some of the marks I was seeing weren’t drawn (or written) but, in fact, were safety pins sewn into fabric.
Her choice of fabric lends itself perfectly to asemic writing as she uses her sewing machine to steer the threads into wild expressive patterns. I read on one of her recent Instagram posts that she had crossed the 17 million stitches mark on her machine. Impressive!
Like many artists, Lisa has fun exploring her medium, and experimenting with the addition of various materials (bits of linen, threads of burlap, shredded currency), and we are lucky enough to be brought along on the ride. Or some of it, at least. She shares process thoughts on her Instagram feed, and they are the perfect little peeks behind the scenes.
Come to think of it, her ability to describe her process and her thoughts about her work probably make her an excellent teacher; Lisa runs a mentorship program and critique groups. I would LOVE to work with her as a coach!
I love this quote from her Instagram: “They are kind of like typewriter drawings but done with a sewing machine. Meandering around a piece of linen with an industrial felt substrate, I work quickly and spontaneously, trying not to overthink the process.”
For more of Lisa Kokin’s work, go to her website, or Instagram.
Related: Rieko Koga
