tara mcpherson X hello kitty X kidrobot
When I was still an art student nerd in Chicago, I stumbled on a website that was promoting artists’ works as “art for your phone.” They had a bunch of little bite-sized wallpapers that you could download to your phone. I don’t remember what brought me to this site, but I was hooked to it for several hours. There were tons of names that I am very familiar with now, but was hearing them then for the first time. Looking back, it seems like a bizarre place to be introduced to the worlds of Luke Cheuh, Thomas Han, Gary Baseman, Takashi Murakami, Tim Biskup, Shepard Fairey, and all the names that usually appear near them. This silly place to download mobile art opened up a world of designer toys, urban vinyl, and accessible art that still has it’s hooks deep in me. It will be the addiction that undoes me.
From this same website, I became an instant follower of Tara McPherson. Since that day I have been an admirer of her work. I linked to her site and immersed myself in McPherson 101. Her rock posters are incomparable to any you’ve ever seen anywhere. I promise. Her characters touch on so many that seem to say just the right thing to me.
From Tara’s site, I found out she had done something called a “Dunny.” It was part of an designer toy series, this series focusing on artists from LA. It looked kinda cool and it was currently available at hip stores around Chicago. So I went out to the MCA gift shop and bought my very 1st Kidrobot toy. If you have seen my house, then you know the end of that story. I will soon need a bigger house for my collection. Soon I will just start replacing the furniture with items large enough to accommodate mealtime and lounging.
Through all of my collecting, I’ve had short obsessions, but Tara is one of two or three artist that I have loved from day one. So when I read that she was going to be in LA signing her Magic Love Hello Kitty on the same day we were going to be there for the Sanrio 50th Anniversay events, I knew it was destined.
I’ve got to say, I’ve never been one to ask for autographs. In fact, just hours before Tara’s signing we had run into Stephen Baldwin at a wine cafe a couple blocks away. We didn’t ask for his scribble. I would much rather chat with a person I admire than be all “would you sign this.” I’m also not in it to make a buck on eBay. So I don’t usually ask for signatures, but I felt that since this event was set up for that purpose it would be ok.
We arrived at the KidrobotLA storefront about an hour before the signing event. We were about halfway down the line. While we waited, we chatted with the other toy geeks. The girl behind me had a Tara McPherson Dunny (LA series) tattoo. It was a fun wait.
At just around 6p, a couple came up the sidewalk together. Just as they were about to pass, my Pilot took a step backwards suddenly. I pulled his arm to try to prevent a collision. The couple had to step off the curb to avoid and as they headed down the walk I suddenly recognized the woman. Then I really got excited! She’s here!
I am a total spaz when it comes to meeting people I admire. I once blinded Tori Amos with a camera flash (true story). I had already been rehearsing what to say for a few days so Tara McPherson would know how big of a fan I am. I considered asking about her time with N** Y*** T**** (as they were calling the band after resistance from THE New York Times – a super lame move on their part) and that I was friends with them back when I had a myspace account. I also considered the chill approach – asking if she’d like to hang when she was done here, but thought it could be construed as too stalker-ish? I even thought it might be clever to tell her that she is two days older than me.
In the end I went with, “We came from Phoenix.”
To which she replied graciously, “Oh did you drive?”
“No, we flew.”
Even though about 42 million things rushed in my head, it was over that quickly.
“Well, enjoy your weekend here,” she said as I shyly thanked her and ducked out the door.
See? I’m so awkward.
Still, I smiled all the way back to the hotel.
Check out all of Tara McPherson’s work at TaraMcPherson.com
We made it into the Kidrobot KRonikle! >]Click[< to check out the event pictures.
Tags: Hello Kitty, Kidrobot, Sanrio, Tara Mcpherson
Great story!!! It can be cheezy to ask for an autograph, but in that moment sometimes it just seems the thing to do…