Kim Leutwyler Brian with pink, blue and yellow

Kim Leutwyler’s subject is Brian Firkus, an American singer-songwriter, comedian, author and television personality. Firkus is best-known for his drag queen persona, Trixie Mattel, and for winning RuPaul’s drag race all stars as Trixie in 2018. ‘Brian is Ojibwe, a Native American person. He had an abusive stepfather who called him a “trixie” when he acted feminine, inspiring his drag name. Brian has an incredible story, so I couldn’t resist reaching out for a portrait sitting.

‘Our initial sitting took place backstage at Sydney’s Enmore Theatre before Trixie’s one-woman show. For the second sitting I travelled to America to Brian’s home in Los Angeles where he chose an outfit that reflected his country roots (he picked up the hat touring Australia); then finished the painting in my home studio in Redfern.’

Born in the United States in 1984, Leutwyler migrated to Australia in 2012. She has Bachelor degrees in Studio and Art History from Arizona State University, and a Painting and Drawing degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. This is her fourth time as an Archibald Prize finalist.