BACK TO VALLEN'S PUNK PORTRAITS

Portrait of Suzy
Color pencil on paper. 16 x 26 inches.

I created this color pencil portrait of my friend Suzy Gardner in 1980 when we were both working in the sleazy Hollywood offices of the L.A. Weekly. Suzy had this look about her that made her an irresistible subject, she was like an 80's punk version of a Marilyn Monroe gone berserk.

Suzy and I crossed paths quite a bit while prowling around as denizens in various punk dives. She had a great enthusiasm for the underground music scene and so it came as no surprise to me when she eventually became a member of the all female rock band, L7. The last I heard she's still very much involved in making music with the band.

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