One-Line Bio
Biography
ARTIST BIO
14 has been an artist and a keen observer of the human species for centuries. Many aspects of human behavior fascinate her and she collects her data either by lurking in the shadows and quietly watching OR going all out and crashing parties, chatting up strangers while laughing too loudly and just being a general nuisance.
GALLERY OF THE ABSURD
Established in 2005, Gallery of the Absurd showcases her pop culture inspired illustrations and satire. Fascinated by the sensational hype and commentary generated by the glossy supermarket tabloids and gossip blogs, she began a project to document and illustrate the narratives as they unfolded.
It's not just gossip that inspires 14, it's the way the celebrities themselves behave in the public eye. Oversized egos, bloated notions of entitlement, drunken panty-less starlets, and other unsavory attention-craving antics also serve as fodder for 14's pen. She delights in the fact that the celebrities themselves create their own twisted caricatures and all she has to do is sit back and draw them.
Her blog and illustrations have been featured in the Sunday New York Times, as well as the NY Post, the UK Sun, Star magazine, YRB, and in dozens of magazines and newspapers around the world.
RESPLENDENT CHAOS
As a devout people watcher, 14 is actually more fascinated with the behavior of the non-famous than with celebrities. Resplendent Chaos was established in 2008 to showcase the her drawings of various tribes of people she observes both in her travels and also in the bounty of eccentrics found in her very own city of San Francisco. She also shows her botanical-inspired illustrations, nature photography, Engrish paintings, stuff she finds on the sidewalk and is currently working on illustrating a deck of cards. One never knows what they'll find on Resplendent Chaos because for 14, chaos reigns.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Q. How many artists are in the Gallery of the Absurd?
A. One. All paintings are done by me except for when I post guest artists. I drink lots of coffee and am basically a studio hermit when I'm not out running wild on the town.
Q. Do you hate the celebrities you paint?
A. Quite the contrary - I enjoy and appreciate the antics of the celebrities I paint. They provide me with hours and hours of laughter - such the clowns they are!
Q. Do the celebrities get angry when they see their portraits?
A. I am not painting their portraits...I paint only the gossip, buzz, chatter and brand image the particular celebrity projects or attracts. I seek to capture a peculiar segment of modern pop culture mythology as it unfolds before our eyes. For this reason, I would hope the celebrity would not be angered. Tom Cruise is probably angry...and come to think of it, Paris Hilton probably isn't too happy either. In fact, her lawyers threatened to sue me once because they said my illustrations "defamed" her. Once I stopped howling in laughter, I quickly dismissed the threats.
Q. Are you a girl?
A. I do seem to be a girl. Hold on, let me check.....yep, I'm a girl.
