Kristen Fissell is a Coast Guard veteran and visual artist that has been involved in sculpture, painting, printmaking and collage. Kristen’s sculptural works explore themes from her time in service such as gender, hierarchical power structures, and life at sea using old uniforms, navigation references and ephemera to create large scale mixed-media works.

Kristen’s paintings range from making pet portraits for her friends and family to experimenting with imaginative landscapes in the Bay Area, all using watercolor. Kristen is obsessed with the marine mammals and unique animals in California such as the California condor, elephant seal, and California sea lion and likes to put these in her creations. In between working at the Asian Art Museum as an art handler and preparator, Kristen is experimenting more with her sewing machine by making custom bags, curtains, and other utilitarian items.