Kristine Gagnier

Mar 26

The Fish Lady

*Grand Opening night. Photo by @skylarscottphoto*

Kristine Gagnier didn’t just create art—she extracted it from the natural world. As a professional fish butcher, she worked closely with chefs across Florida, salvaging fish bones and skeletal structures that would otherwise have been discarded. These remnants, paired with driftwood she collected along Florida’s beaches and other artifacts from nature, became her raw materials. Her practice was part scavenger, part sculptor, and entirely intuitive.

Deeply connected to Florida’s marine ecosystems, Kristine’s perspective is rooted in a lifelong love for the ocean. Her art honors both the creatures she works with and the culinary community that surrounds them. It’s equal parts homage and reclamation—a way of saying nothing is wasted, and everything has a story.

Each of Kristine’s pieces was an intricate, deliberate composition. She began by cleaning, preserving, and assembling fish bones—vertebrae, jaws, fins—treating them with reverence. She then paired them with naturally weathered driftwood, allowing texture, shape, and flow to guide the final form. Some pieces evoked sea creatures, others resembled mythical relics. All felt alive.

At the core of Kristine’s process was a deep respect for sustainability. By repurposing culinary byproducts and beach-found wood, she highlighted the cyclical nature of life and creativity. Her work encouraged conversations about food systems, waste, and our role as stewards of the natural world.

Kristine’s residency was more than a showcase—it was an invitation to see with new eyes, to find the extraordinary in the overlooked, and to reconnect with the rhythms of the sea.