Rachael Warner is a Brooklyn based painter and a friend of mine from college. I’ve followed her work over the years as she’s developed a really wonderful and unique style of portrait painting. Rendered in hyper real colors and patterns, her paintings highlight and celebrate the individuality and charisma of her chosen subjects.

I photographed Rachael on the day she was beginning a portrait of her lover, Zavé. We began at Zavé’s place where Rachael photographed Zavé in various poses to use as reference. After a break for lunch, I followed Rachael to her studio and home and shot her as she began work on the portrait.

You’re working on a new portrait series. Who are you painting and why?

My subjects are typically people from my life- friends, lovers, acquaintances… people I meet at parties. I tend to work in series format, focusing on different groups along the gender/sexuality scale. I’ve focused for a while on gay men, bears etc., who make up a large contingent of my friendships. Now, I’m moving into a more gender-non conforming group of queers- the faye, the gender-queers, trans folks. I’m also working on a few more self-portraits.

What do you aim to convey about the subjects in your paintings?

My paintings are celebratory. I celebrate the people in my work and I try to convey the essence of who they are not only as individuals but also as an expression and celebration of their sexuality and gender identities… their particular brand of homo and how that fits into gay culture and culture at large. The people in my paintings seem very proud of themselves.

You’re earlier work is based largely in romance and fantasy. What made you move away from that and into the portrait realm?

I’ve always loved painting people, almost as much as I love romance. I think I wanted to start making work that was more personal to me. I had all these interesting people around me and as a social person, I wanted my work to reflect my life and the people in it. Painters have a lonely practice. It’s a way to have my friends around me, even when I’m alone in my studio hour after hour.

How do you feel that those earlier themes of romance and fantasy are influencing your current work?

I feel like fantasy has a role in making my subjects seem larger than life- big people with big personalities.. people who take up a lot of space. I want to make space for positive and self-confident representations of queers. Maybe its a way to make superheros out of us all.

What kinds of reactions do your subjects have when they see the portraits you’ve made of them?

Sometimes they blush a little.. I know I blush when I show a self-portrait. It’s like, gawd! I’m all up in every ones face!

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