TD 1
enter Street 66 to open doors and a large, neon A
ndy Warhol quote: “Everything I do is a hobby.” This seems fitting, as I am here for just that – a hobby that has the potential to be so much more. Past more neon, rainbows and nostalgic-cum-glamorous Warhol portraits is the room where the magic happens. Cushioned chairs, all a different peach hue, are positioned in a circle in the middle of the room. A disco ball hangs from the ceiling, producing a glittering illusion that seems fitting for a 1980s nightclub – something that this venue transforms into every weekend night. To complete the effect, Whitney Houston supplies the soundtrack, her voice waterfalling from the speakers and drowning out the light chatter of the 30-something artists and drag-enthusiasts that have gathered. On this Tuesday evening, however, this room will function as a pop-up art studio, as is apparent from the boards of paper and sticks of charcoal that are scattered around the tables and balanced in the laps of attendees. A young woman sits next to me and, like many of the other attendees, we start chatting away. I learn that she is somewhat of a regular and has actually driven to Dublin all the way from Ballinlough to attend this two-hour session. The last time she attended was during Pride week, and one of her portraits from that evening now adorns a nearby wall. Before long, a tall, blonde drag queen in a gorgeous jumpsuit strolls in the door. I question for a moment whether or not I actually am in a fabulous 1980s nightclub, until Aine Macken, our art teacher for the evening, introduces the queen as Faux Joli, our model for this monthly event. And so, Drag and Draw begins. “In terms of how the idea came about,” says Adrian Colwell, the founder of the event, “My friend Ailbhe was talking about this art class that she went to in London where the models were dancers that performed. I thought that that format would really work well with drag queens. So it’s half drag show, half art class.” Colwell was right: Faux Joli is the perfect model, and unlike any other model I’ve seen in a life drawing class. She takes the stage (aka the floor space in the center of all of our chairs) and begins her performance to Whitney Houston’s How Will I Know. “I had been following Drag and Draw on Instagram for a few months and I loved the look of it,” says Faux Joli, “so I reached out to a friend who knew Adrian and told her to give him my contact if he ever needed a model in the future. Before I knew it, I was standing on the bar in Street 66 with a crowd of people drawing me!” And that’s exactly what happens tonight. Macken leads us through various exercises: First, we start with musical statues, drawing version, in which we draw the poses that Faux Joli freezes in every time the music is paused. Our pages spring to life with her confident movements: twirls, hips popped, hands in the air. “I think the idea of drawing a drag queen is really interesting because it’s a real exaggerated femininity,” Macken tells me. “Especially for when you are creating those lines, that makes it really exciting. The shapes that they create themselves, you can kind of mimic and draw.” Faux Joli’s curves inspire our lines and sketches for several more short exercises, in which we are given the chance to both appreciate her performance as audience members and study her shape as artists. Finally, after a quick outfit change, Faux Joli positions herself on the bar top for two 20-minute sketches. During this time, we are invited to ask her questions. Question: “What is your fashion inspiration?” Answer: “Anything pastel. And anything neon. And then UV kind of stuff, because in the George they have a UV light. I also like The Muppets, as you can tell with this jacket.” She is referencing her extremely colourful faux fur jacket that is draped around her elbows. Question: “How did you come up with your name?” I think the idea of drawing a drag queen is really interesting because it’s a real exaggerated femininity. Answer: “It means ‘Fake Pretty’ in French. I went on Google Translate and just started typing in loads of random words in French. I wanted something that was kind of like ‘croissant’.” We all laugh along with her. “And then I came up with Faux Joli.” We learn that she is studying fashion design at NCAD, that she is inspired by Lady Gaga (“obviously”) and that she hopes to audition for the UK version of Ru Paul’s Drag Race next year. As for how this Q&A session first came about, Colwell explains, “We did one [Drag and Draw] this time last year with Bunny, who was quite a well-known drag queen who usually works in Pantibar. One of the poses was her holding a microphone, a pose that’s really associated with being a drag queen, and we thought maybe the queen could talk during that pose. That organically turned into a Q&A, and it felt so natural that it’s now become a staple.” Faux Joli also loves this part of the night. 33