Meet the Artist: Bibby Gignilliat

Bibby Gignilliat Artist, Marin Magazine

Have you ever witnessed someone living his or her life with a deep sense of purpose and zeal and wondered what it took for that person to be so congruent and fulfilled in life? 

Mill Valley entrepreneur and artist Bibby Gignilliat has spent a lifetime honing the skill of following her joy and living her life with purpose. She now helps others to find meaning through her personalized art, inspiring her customers to distill their unique qualities, talents and aspirations during the planning portion of the art process. "It’s amazing, how having personal art that exhibits passion and vision can empower and anchor purpose in daily existence," says Bibby, who points out that a nothing is off limits to evoke joyful aspirations in art — a section of childhood wallpaper, an image transfer of the family dog, even a piece of sheet music. 

Bibby’s journey to becoming an artist started at the age of 10, when she attended art classes and became enthralled with painting. However, she had a critical art teacher and, in spite of her promising talent, stopped painting when she was 11 and put her art on the shelf, so to speak. 

As an adult, Bibby turned her creative talents to the world of cooking by attending culinary school and becoming a chef. Soon she began teaching hands-on cooking classes; shortly thereafter one of her students asked her to teach an interactive cooking class in his home in San Francisco for 40 international businessmen. That successful event prompted Bibby to launch Parties that Cook, which staged hands-on cooking parties and corporate team building events in homes and rented kitchens in the Bay Area and eventually other cities.  

Yet, there was always part of Bibby who knew that painting was her true calling, harkening back to her childhood days spent in art class. So in 2014, while running her company full-time, she enrolled in an art class, claiming, “I was the worst one in the class.” Undeterred, she rented a studio in the ICB Building in Sausalito so she could paint at night and on weekends while still expanding Parties that Cook.

Eventually Bibby sold Parties that Cook and began working full-time as a mixed media artist. She now offers classes and showings in her 1,400 square foot studio, where she involves clients in the creative process of her commissioned customized art. Bibby’s journey of finding both her bliss and her purpose has honed her ability to help others find a sense their purpose within themselves. She is well aware that it was not luck but, soul-oriented goals, self-exploration and actively seeking whom she can serve and how she can provide value that has put her on a purposeful path.


Find tips on you can find your own purpose in this TED talk by Adam Leipzig.

To see more of Bibby’s work, please visit @bibbygart.


Sally Greenberg is a Mill Valley resident, writer, urban shaman, Hatha yoga instructor, minister, "biohacker," shower singer, wife and mother of three. Her mission is to express her highest potential every day, while being of service to others and having fun doing it!