Meet Max Larkin and Lisa Van Wagenen

Today we’d like to introduce you to Max Larkin and Lisa Van Wagenen.

Max and Lisa, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
Lisa and I have been together for four years and are soon to be married, but it honestly seems like our lives have been running parallel since birth. We both grew up off I-19, Lisa in Green Valley and I in Tubac. I sort of grew up on a farm, and Lisa grew up in the middle of the desert, but we both ended up in Tucson one way or another.

We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do, why, and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
We share a fascination with the past, even if it is just our own family past, and we have an obsession with precious heirlooms and the utilitarian possessions of our next of kin.

We started our own little business making shoes but moved on to bags and would like to expand into making custom outfits, more bags, and even dip our feet back into some fresh shoes.

How can artists connect with other artists?
We found the markets we have done to be overwhelmingly supportive! We always end up becoming friends with the other vendors, and it is so exciting to see how many people are creating in their own unique way! Plus we always make a few good trades! So, our advice would be to go to a market and talk to people about the things they make, because you are sure to be inspired by someone.

Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
We have a few items for sale at Gather in Phoenix and Batea Boutique in Tucson, and we like to post everything we make on Instagram. We also work a few markets, like Cultivate Tucson, which we really enjoy because then we get to actually meet the people who support us.

Contact Info:

• Email: maxandlisawares@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mandlwares/

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