Rachael Blanks, an artist originally from Alaska, made a big move earlier this year from Tokyo, Japan to Ann Arbor, Michigan, while stopping at home in-between.
Blanks is the creator behind Queer & Feral — an artistic space dedicated to inclusive art, especially people who are queer, trans, fat, disabled and or neurodivergent, Blanks says.
“The opportunity to center art on these intersections that don’t necessarily get much representation fills me with joy,” Blanks said.
Blanks describes themselves as a “weird, queer kid from Alaska.” Their Etsy shop features an array of linocut pieces, upcycled screen printed t-shirts and dozens of stickers they call “spicy stickers” — designed with funny phrases including “I’m a bitch, I’m a lover, I’m Hulk Hogan, hell yeah brother” and “my gender is just an anxiety attack and a large Baja Blast.”
They fell out of making art in their early twenties due to life changes and moving overseas, but says they dove right back in after starting their small business.
Blanks also recently released a coloring book of their drawings, called “All Bodies Are Good Bodies, Including Yours,” which features over twenty pages of real bodies drawn from real people.
Blanks says that flora and fauna always inspire them to create, with botanicals included throughout the coloring book.
“I really just want to put an emphasis on how much I value and think it’s important to represent fat, queer, disabled, and neurodivergent folks in positive ways in art,” Blanks said. “Realistically we don’t see a lot of it, and I’m really working to change that.”
Blanks’ coloring book and other work from Queer & Feral is available on their Etsy shop as well as at Rage City Vintage in Anchorage.
“I finally feel like I’ve found a place where I fit naturally … Mackenzie and Emma have curated such an affirming, loving space there that it’s hard not to feel at home,” Blanks said. “I never knew a space like this really existed, both there and in the community we’ve built online.”
Sam Davenport is a writer residing in Anchorage. She's a leo and a plant-person, and loves spending quality time with her dog, Aspen. She is a Real Housewives fan and has been called a Bravo historian.
