Throughout the ebbs and flows of life, Pamela Kogen has always had two things keep her afloat: her love of sailing, which began when she was 6 years old growing up on the East Coast, and her artistic practice.
So, it was only a matter of time that the two would find a way to come together. For the last year, the San Francisco resident has worked in her studio at the ICB Building in Sausalito, a place brimming with naval history and bay views, to transform and use recycled sails — many from a former sail loft in Sausalito — in her art.
Creating more than 20 pieces over the last year or so, Kogen is excited to open up her studio — 306 A — to the public as part of ICB ART’s Winter Open Studios from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. this weekend at 480 Gate 5 Road in Sausalito. A preview party is from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday. Admission is free.
Along with Kogen, more than 100 fellow ICB artists in a variety of mediums, from photography to sculpture to painting to jewelry, will showcase their work.
“We look forward to this event every year and welcome the opportunity to open our spaces to the public,” said Anki Gelb, ICB artist and board co-president, in a press release. “Each year we welcome new guests and also repeat collectors who love supporting artists they know. The vibe in the building is friendly, open and generous.”
Kogen took some time to reflect on her new body of work.
Q How long have you been at ICB?
A Almost seven years. I love this community. It’s incredibly vibrant. We’re constantly giving each other good critical input. I feel very fortunate to have landed here.
Q Did you seek out having a studio so close to the bay?
A It just happened this way. I’m a lifelong sailor. And for the past seven years, my husband and I were returning to our sailboat on the East Coast and spending two and a half months living on the boat cruising in New England, which we’ve done for a long time. So, having a studio so close to the water was an extra bonus. We sold our boat on the East Coast. We have a boat that we keep in Sausalito. I feel very fortunate to be able to experience not only looking at the bay, but being on the bay. The sloop’s name is Frolic and that’s the intention: to go out and have a good time.
Q What inspired you to use recycled sails?
A Since I was in art school, I’ve used textiles, whether they be clothing or different materials in my artwork. And then my brother sent me a couple of sails. He was a rigger on the East Coast in a shipyard. And they were sitting in my studio, and I kept thinking how there’s so much waste in the clothing industry as well as sailing. There is a movement to recycle, repurpose and upcycle sails, and I just decided it was the natural evolution for me to start incorporating sail material in my work. I feel like I’m constantly inventing the wheel and doing things that I haven’t done before. And there’s such a history in the sails; there’s wear and tear. They bring their own sort of conversation to the pieces I’ve been working on. I’ve also been stitching them together. That for me is hearkening back to sail repair, women’s work stitching and watching my mother sew clothing, and now I’m taking the needle into my own hands and using it in a different way.
Q Can you tell me about how you got into sailing?
A My dad always loved the water, and he decided to take a sailing lesson. And then before long, he was taking us all out sailing. Before we knew it, we had a small boat and we were spending every single weekend on the boat. And when I got married, my husband, who was a golfer, I thought was definitely a land liver. We had a honeymoon on a beautiful boat down in the Caribbean. He was sold after that. So, we bought a boat together, and we’ve been sailing over 30 years together.
Q Is there a trip that stands out?
A Waking up in Positano at anchor, and looking up at the hills rising on that Amalfi Coast. That was pretty extraordinary. What I love so much about the sailing experience is that it makes you be so present. You have to keep your eyes on the water to look for where the wind is coming from. You really have to be aware of what’s going on. And there’s something about that akin to working in the studio, that desire to be in the moment and to react to what’s in front of you.
Q How many pieces have you been able to create thus far?
A Over 20, in different sizes. It started really with just cutting up pieces of sails and applying them, integrating them into the work like a mixed-media collage with painting. I thought, let’s stretch them over stretcher bars like you would a linen canvas. And then it started becoming a whole different thing. It’s morphed into different ways of working with them. I was in art school and then I was a commercial artist for a while as an illustrator. I feel like the work now, it’s closer to me than it ever has been.
