Kevin Roach
b. 1957, San Francisco ∙ CE artist since 2004
Photo by Mike Melnyk
Kevin Roach (b. 1957) is an illustrative artist and San Francisco native. Growing up in SF, Roach often talks about his time as a child in the circle of The Cockettes, one of the original troupes of radical drag performers. His memories of the innovative gender-bending performances and beautiful, glittery costumes are reflected in his sense of artistic design and composition. Roach cites Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera as major inspirations, saying their art “makes [him] come alive."
Roach is always eager to test out new techniques and improve his skills, adding he wants “to learn more about art through books to get more ideas.” Roach’s iconic, representational artwork features clean compositions, simplified figures, symbols, and landscapes. His meticulous process involves careful planning and sketching, before honing in on the repetition of small details to create pieces that draw attention both up close and from afar. Eyeballs, one of his more popular motifs, appear in many of his two and three dimensional works—challenging notions of who is the viewer and the viewed.
Roach’s eyeball designs were reproduced in Of Here From There | De Aquí Desde Allá, in collaboration with Ana Teresa Fernández. He has participated in over thirty group exhibitions throughout his tenure at CE, including Out of Order and Black and White and Read All Over. Roach was most recently featured in the exhibition I Wish I Had A Window at & Beyond Gallery in 2025
Select Exhibitions & Projects
2025
“I Wish I Had A Window,” & Beyond Gallery, Oakland, CA
2023
“Old Friends/New Friends A 40th Anniversary Celebration Exhibition,” Creativity Explored, San Francisco, CA
“Tour de Force,” Outsider Art Fair, New York, NY
“Into the Brightness: Artists from Creativity Explored, Creative Growth & NIAD,” Oakland Museum of California, Oakland, CA
2022
“Fabricave,” Creativity Explored, San Francisco, CA
2021
“Mode Brut,” Museum of Craft and Design, San Francisco, CA
2020
“Of Here From There | De Aquí Desde Allá,” San Francisco Art Institute, CA
2019
“Patterns in Practice,” San Francisco Zen Center, CA
California Conference for the Advancement of Ceramic Art 2019, Davis, CA
2018
“Transcendent,” San Francisco Zen Center, CA
“"From" All Over the Place,” 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, San Francisco, CA
“Fabulate!,” Creativity Explored, San Francisco, CA
2016
“Natural History,” Creativity Explored Gallery, San Francisco, CA
“Tabula Rasa,” Creativity Explored, San Francisco, CA
2015
“Tree of Life,” Creativity Explored, San Francisco, CA
2014
“INK, Creativity Explored, San Francisco, CA
“A Curious Menagerie,” Creativity Explored, San Francisco, CA
2013
“SIDESHOW,” Creativity Explored, San Francisco, CA
“For the Birds,” Creativity Explored, San Francisco, CA
“San Francisco's Calacas: Day of the Dead,” Creativity Explored, San Francisco, CA
2012
“Are We There Yet?,” Creativity Explored, San Francisco, CA
2011
“The Masters,” Creativity Explored, San Francisco, CA
“Black and White and Read All Over,” Creativity Explored, San Francisco, CA
“Structure,” Creativity Explored, San Francisco, CA
2010
“Santos y Otros Creatures,” Creativity Explored, San Francisco, CA
2008
“INsects INsectos,” Creativity Explored, San Francisco, CA
“Finders Keepers,” Creativity Explored, San Francisco, CA
“Tasty,” Creativity Explored, San Francisco, CA
2006
“Sacred Places,” Creativity Explored, San Francisco, CA
“Vessels,” Creativity Explored, San Francisco, CA
2005
“Mindful,” Creativity Explored, San Francisco, CA
2004
“Critters,” Creativity Explored, San Francisco, CA
“Heads n' Tails,” Creativity Explored, San Francisco, CA
2003
“Lit,” Creativity Explored, San Francisco, CA
