VP-elect Kamala Harris calls Bay Area teen who painted her portrait

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Thursday, November 26, 2020
Kamala Harris calls SJ teen who painted her portrait
VP-elect Kamala Harris surprised 14-year-old Tyler Gordon with a phone call after he tweeted a timelapse video of him painting her portrait.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A teenager from San Jose was surprised by another Bay Area native, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, after he got her attention by painting her portrait.

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Tyler Gordon launched a campaign to try to get the vice president-elect to see it, and now she has.

"Oh my God! I'm overwhelmed with the magnificence of your artistry! You really have a gift," the VP-elect told Gordon over the phone.

"She came from the Bay Area and I felt really connected because she's working hard and her hard work did pay off," Gordon told ABC7 News.

Gordon's hard work paid off, too. He tweeted a timelapse video of himself painting. The video was viewed over one million times.

VIDEO: SJ artist Tyler Gordon receives surprise phone call from Kamala Harris

Tyler Gordon was surprised with a phone call from VP-elect Kamala Harris after he tweeted timelapse video of him painting her portrait.

One retweet came from Chelsea Clinton. In a tweet on Wednesday, Gordon thanked Clinton for helping reach Harris.

"One day when I'm in Oakland, I hope to meet you but I wanted to call to say thank you," Harris said.

In a later tweet, Clinton suggested the painting go up at the vice president's residence. Tyler has similar dreams. "My dream is to paint the official White House portrait."

Maybe it's not out of the question. One dream already came true.

Gordon is the same teen who painted a portrait of Jennifer Lopez and her fiance Alex Rodriguez and met them at her concert last June.

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