CARA BETH BURNSIDE
14” X 11”, oil paint on canvas, 2019
This portrait is one of my favorites because when I first started skateboarding Cara Beth was (is) legendary being the first woman to grace the hallowed cover of Thrasher Magazine and have a professional skate shoe!!
This was back when women and girls were, in the skateboarding world, practically invisible. So when I saw that Thrasher and read about Cara Beth I was like, “Hell Ya!!” Seeing a girl shredding so hard and killing it, meant everything.
So, ya, what feels like a billion years later…and in my own way, I get to pay homage to an idol that deserves the gratitude. Not for being the first necessarily but for being seen and opening a way forward.