A 14-year-old boy drew a portrait of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. He never expected her to see it — then she called.

Sarah Al-Arshani
Wed, November 25, 2020

Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris speaking in Washington, DC, on August 27, 2020. ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images

Fourteen-year-old Tyler Gordon drew a portrait of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, who inspires him, but he never thought she would actually see it.

His tweet of a time-lapse video of him drawing the portrait went viral.

Harris called him after she saw it.

A teenager from the San Francisco Bay Area who was inspired by Vice President-elect Kamala Harris painted a portrait of her. And while he hoped she would see it, he never expected that she would — or that she would call him.

Tyler Gordon, 14, got a call from Harris after a time-lapse video of him painting a portrait of her went viral. Gordon told Insider that he looks up to Harris who overcame a lot of obstacles to become the first woman vice president-elect — and the first South Asian American and Black woman to hold the title — the way he's had to overcome hurdles in his own life.

"She inspires me and she broke through tons of barriers. I also broke through barriers with my stutter, being in a wheelchair for two years, and being deaf until I was six," he said. "So she just inspires me and also she's from the Bay Area, my hometown. So I feel like I just relate to that.
—Tyler Gordon (@Official_tylerg) November 23, 2020

Gordon, who began drawing when he was 10, said he hopes that Harris can one day have her portrait and that he aspires to someday plaint the official White House portrait. He also harbors dreams of opening up his own art gallery.

After the phone call, he described Harris as "humble," a quality he admires.

"I'm really grateful because she's really humble, actually. When she called me actually today, I was shocked. She thanked me for the painting and told me that I was really talented and bright during the conversation," he said.

He added that during the call, a timer went off for Harris' cornbread and she told him, 'hold on, I gotta check my cornbread,'" which he thought was very personable.

Gordon said that his mom Nicole Kindle initially did not allow him to paint when he first showed interest. It was only after he had a dream where he said God had told him if he didn't use his artistic talent, he would take it away, that he went to his mom crying, who eventually agreed.

Kindle told Insider that she's glad her son didn't let her stand in the way of his passion and that she regretted that she hadn't been as supportive from the get-go.

"He's painted for lots of celebrities and done lots of work, but he's really a humble kid," Kindle said of her son."He just enjoys playing with his twin brother and eating pop tarts, like a normal kid. He still has his chores. He's just a normal kid that has extreme talent, and that's what I love about him. He'd never let it go to his head. He's really humble about it. "

Read the original article on Insider

'She called me!!!!!': Vice President-elect Kamala Harris phones California teen to thank him for painting her portrait


Jessica Flores, USA TODAY
Wed, November 25, 2020

A teen artist from California asked his Twitter followers on Sunday to share his painted portrait of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris to improve the chances she'd see it.

On Wednesday, Tyler Gordon learned Harris had seen it. How? She called to thank him.

"I was really shocked," Gordon, 14, of San Jose, told USA TODAY.

On Twitter, Gordon wrote, "She called me!!!!!! @KamalaHarris called ME!!!!"

He said he painted a portrait of Harris because he was inspired by the barriers she broke as the first woman, first Black person and first person of Asian descent to be elected as vice president.

"I, myself, broke a lot of barriers with my stuttering, breaking my hips and being deaf since I was 6," he said. "I feel like she represents that."

@KamalaHarris My name is Tyler Gordon and I'm 14 years old and I live in the Bay Area! I painted this picture of you and I hope you like it!!! Please Rt and tag her so that she can see this. Please!!!@JoeBiden @DouglasEmhoff @SenKamalaHarris @WeGotGame2 pic.twitter.com/X0qtChKBf2
— Tyler Gordon (@Official_tylerg) November 23, 2020

The tweet included a time-lapse video of Gordon painting his portrait of Harris with the Golden Gate Bridge as his background.

"My name is Tyler Gordon and I'm 14 years old and I live in the Bay Area! I painted this picture of you and I hope you like it!!" the tweet says.

Chelsea Clinton, the daughter of former President Bill Clinton and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, and San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo helped spread Gordon's message on Twitter.

I’d like to proudly add that the very talented Tyler is a resident of @CityofSanJose ! He’s a wonderful young man who has demonstrated unique strength of character to overcome obstacles in his young life. @ChelseaClinton @KamalaHarris @DouglasEmhoff @WeGotGame2 @JoeBiden https://t.co/4mFhAdsEfe
— Sam Liccardo (@sliccardo) November 25, 2020

Madame Vice President-Elect @KamalaHarris 🇺🇸, check out this beautiful portrait of you by @Official_tylerg! https://t.co/2JrmJoiueG
— Chelsea Clinton (@ChelseaClinton) November 25, 2020

Gordon's mother, Nicole Kindle, captured the moment Harris called him in a video.

"I'm overwhelmed with just the magnificence of your artistry," Harris told Gordon. "You really have a gift, my goodness. I was so touched to see it."

Harris, who was born in Oakland, also told Gordon she hopes to meet him one day.

This isn't the first time Gordon's artwork has captured the attention of a high-profile figure. His portraits of celebrities have led him to meet Jennifer Lopez, Alex Rodriguez, Janet Jackson, Kevin Durant and Kevin Hart, he said.

When he grows up, Gordon said he hopes to have his own art gallery and display his work around the world.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: California teen who painted Kamala Harris portrait gets surprise call