A STREET ARTIST BY SOUL
Michael Kensinger says, “I’ve always been a craftsperson—candle maker, stained glass artist, woodworker, fabric artist.” But where did it all begin? “I was living in a bus in Florida and gas went to $0.25,” he explains. So, searching for a simpler, less costly lifestyle, “I went to the beach and learned how to make sand candles.” Kensinger found his way to San Francisco in the 1970s and opened a shop that brought him local fame and fortune. The art world has “always been good to me,” he says.

CAPTURING THE CAT’S EYE
The San Francisco earthquake of 1989 influenced the direction of Kensinger’s life work. “I was a glassmaker and my studio collapsed,” he says. The artist decided to pursue a new art form and took a class in bookmaking. While he enjoyed the process of creating books, it was the traditional papermaking technique often seen in the end sheets of 18th and 19th century volumes that stuck with him. To create innovative hues, Kensinger mastered how to float colors in a gel form in water, pattern the gels with pins, and then lay his chosen material upon the mix to create the desired motif. Kensinger’s bent for papermaking eventually evolved into the marbled, eye-catching clothing now found in his booth.

ENVIRONMENTAL INTERVENTION
The colorful and joyful Kensinger is well-known on the Sugarloaf circuit for his delightfully marbled clothing designs. His collection of hand-painted silk pieces includes neckties, vests, shawls, blouses, and capes. “I have a unique little niche in the crafts business,” Kensinger says, “because I sell things for men and have many gender neutral items.” The variety of clothing items Kensinger sells isn’t the only draw to his work. It is, of course, the appearance of the articles that also draw a crowd. The artist explains, “There’s an intricate interplay of color and pattern that allows each piece to come out in its harmonious oneness.”