Today we’d like to introduce you to Junie Brown.
Hi Junie, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’ve always had an inherent interest in the feminine energy that surrounded me. From playing barbies and dress up with my cousins, to growing up to be a transgender woman, I have always had this desire to convey a feminine energy. This yearning for femininity has lead me to many different hobbies, including painting, sewing, drag, makeup, and so much more. This has all led me to where I am today, as a student at the Kansas City Art Institute, where I major in painting, but often dabble in other mediums. Most recently, I have been working with textiles, specifically creating a garment meant to be worn during a drag performance. Having so many interests when it comes to artistic expression is both a blessing and a curse, mainly because I have so much I want to do but so little time.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has definitely not been easy to get to where I am now. I work day in and day out to create art that I feel encapsulates who I am and what I stand for, and having to take care of housekeeping and working at the same time as schooling is a huge mental load. I think especially doing all of this with little external support is the hardest part. My mother doesn’t live in the country currently and my father passed away when I was 12, so I’ve always had to be a little more mature and independent than others my age. I almost feel as if the world is out to get me sometimes, but I work hard to make sure I don’t let anything drag me down.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I feel like my work is all over the place, but I think I’m most known for my Oil portraits. I’ve focused a lot on depicting transgender people, especially myself, and creating an environment where people like me are appreciated and almost idolized. One of my most popular paintings, Angel (2025), depicts actress Indya Moore. She played Angel in the popular 2018 tv series Pose, who I especially felt a connection to. Seeing a trans woman who’s parents still don’t see her the way she wants them to really did make me feel see, since at the time I was not out to my family as trans.
I think I’m most proud of my most recent work with printmaking. I’ve been experimenting with mono printing techniques on gel plates, which have given me a very exciting way to work with images which inspire me and put them into the context I think relates to the message I tend to convey in my work, of advocacy for trans visibility.
I think the fact I’m so open with my intersecting identities as a Black, Indigenous Mexican, plus-size, and trans woman really sets me apart from others in the local art world. I work very hard to be seen as an inspiration to other trans girls who are afraid they aren’t going to be pretty enough to exist as the women they are. Our communities idolize thin bodies and lighter skin, and being the complete opposite, its hard to feel beautiful in a world that sees us almost as a burden or something which needs to be either changed or hidden.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I feel like existing right now is a huge risk, especially as a trans individual and person of color. I constantly have to be careful of being visible in spaces where being trans isn’t necessarily something celebrated, and it gets exhausting. I think risk isn’t always something you inherently choose to avoid or not, sometimes it is risky just to be you. If I didn’t have this worry of existing somewhere I’m not welcome (or even just having a skin color others see as dangerous or less-than), I think I’d take a lot more risks. I would love to take a gap year in school, or skip a few too many classes, or even just make a mistake. I don’t really have a safety net, and the world we live in isn’t very forgiving to people like me, so I really can’t be a risk-taker.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://juniepaints.myportfolio.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abwun.png/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juniebrown
