Smile For the Camera

Maybe it's because I grew up with a mom who was always taking pictures, but I have gotten used to the requisite smile-and-pose in front of my artwork for friends or family.  What's interesting when I look through old images of me and my work is the evolution of both myself and my artwork.  And maybe I am a glutton for punishment, or I like embarrassing myself on the worldwide internet, but I thought it might be fun to put them all in a post.

Recently I have given a few artist lectures and I always include these silly images of my fashion designs from my childhood.  They really do seem relevant to my current work, and it's nice to look back and think that my childhood self probably would like the art I make as an adult. 

Here I am, working away at my desk, probably 1987.

I don't know what I was making, but I think it's cute that I always, always made art.  This is in 1993, I think.

Oh my god, this pastel self portrait is so bad but I was so proud of it at the time!  Sacramento City College, 2002.

I'm a CCA newbie, in my class where we painted self portraits for an entire semester, 2004. 

A weird collage of me as an art saint by Reece Baxter.  Here, in my senior studio, drawing the pice of Natasha Lyonne below!  2005

My first big show, where I dragged my family to downtown Oakland for the juried show, Bay Area Currents, at the Oakland Art Gallery, 2006.

There's my proud dad again, at my college graduation, 2006.

My first two-person show shot by Jannine from the Coveted, at Bucheon Gallery in 2007.

A group show at a regrettable gallery in San Francisco, but the first time I put my work in fancy frames!  2007

Tracy Timmins and I at Southern Exposure's Monster Drawing Rally in 2008.

Tracy and I next to each other one year later at the Monster Drawing Rally in 2009.

My two-person show with Tahiti Pehrson at 111 Minna, shot by Art Business.  It was my Molly Ringwald moment where all my old friends were there, I felt good about my work, and everything coalesced into a perfect evening, 2008.

My solo exhibition, "I Wanna Be Adored", at Triple Base Gallery.  It was during my first semester of grad school, and I practically lost my shit and had a nervous breakdown.  2009

Giving my Artist Talk of the Triple Base Dinner Lecture Series.  The meal was designed to go with my work by Abner Nolan, so it included individually wrapped fish like special gifts and the "Kate Moss course", which was just a shot of vodka.  2009

Headdress project, messing around in the grad courtyard, 2010.

Another headdress, shot by Emanuel Hapsis as part of my KQED interview, 2011.

There's my proud dad again in a ridiculous beret he called the "Drive-By-Shooting", at my CCA Grad Open Studios, 2011.

Here's the cap on all the rest: my graduate thesis exhibition at CCA., 2011.  Sort of feels like that's the end of an era, but maybe it's the beginning of a new art life.

Maybe this reads as really self-absorbed to put so many images of myself up here, but like I said, I had a mom who took photos of me constantly so it doesn't seem weird to me.  It's just a record of the time spent and lessons learned.