Meet the Velvet Bandit: Sonoma Co.’s mystery mom turned street art superhero

SONOMA COUNTY, Calif. (KGO) — By day, she’s a single mom and school lunch lady. By night (or day when no one is looking), she’s the Velvet Bandit — a mysterious street artist whose punny, powerful artwork has caught the attention of celebrities like Simone Biles, Demi Lovato and John Cusack.

Working out of her garage in a wig to protect her secret identity, this Sonoma County superhero of street art has turned wheat paste and wit into a weapon for social change.

Her origin story? Classic pandemic plot twist: after getting laid off from her lunch lady gig during COVID-19, she started creating cheeky public service announcements. Think “wash your hands” but make it art.

“They’re really silly and punny. I didn’t really think much of it,” she said.

But everything changed after George Floyd’s murder.

“I realized that I could use my art to speak about much bigger issues than Covid,” she said, shifting her artistic superpowers toward social justice, climate change and women’s rights.

Her secret weapon? A “paste-up purse” loaded with brushes and wheat paste, plus a car trunk full of ready-to-deploy artwork. She can slap up smaller pieces in seconds, working faster than you can say “urban beautification” (which is exactly how she describes her mission).

The Velvet Bandit’s creations pop up throughout public spaces like delightful surprises: a bomber plane dropping books instead of bombs, bananas painted during a particularly “bananas” moment in the pandemic, and pro-voting pieces that she believes helped Sonoma County achieve California’s highest voter turnout.

Her art timing is as sharp as her wit, responding to news cycles with pieces that make you think, while maybe cracking a smile.

“That came out of Covid. That was a design from Covid when I was thinking, like, this is bananas. And then I went, ‘OK, let’s paint some bananas,'” she said with a laugh.

Like any good superhero, she has her boundaries; some locations are off-limits, and she’s even scored permission from supportive businesses and property owners who appreciate her work.

But maintaining a secret identity isn’t all fun and games.

“It’s been scary. It’s been fun. It’s been therapeutic. It’s been wild,” she said, revealing she’s even gone to therapy to discuss the challenges of her double life.

The best part? All her pieces are removable, making them the politest form of rebellion you’ll ever see — like putting up a “lost puppy” flyer, but with way more social commentary.

One day, this masked crusader of creativity hopes to reveal her true identity and create openly. Until then, she’ll keep fighting the good fight, one paste-up at a time — proving that sometimes the most powerful art comes from the most unexpected places, like your local school cafeteria.