Hockenos is influenced by the wind and the salt and the craggy shores of her native Northern California coast, while being inspired too by the urban angles of the cities in which she has lived. Hockenos studied visual arts and creative writing at Sarah Lawrence College, NY and printmaking at Fondazione Il Bisonte in Florence, Italy. Hockenos works primarily on oils. She is interested in incidental gender dynamics both physical, through the lens of task and labor, and emotional, through interpersonal relationships. These interests are juxtaposed with a strong connection to her natural environment and to an affinity for narrative. Happenings with Isis Hockenos