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RuPaul’s Drag Race has had so many seasons and spinoffs that an entire generation doesn’t remember a time before RuPaul sent scores of drag superstars sashaying away. Portland drag artist Gary Barnes, who performs as Mona Chrome, is a member of that generation.

Barnes caught the drag bug watching Drag Race’s eighth season, which crowned the comedian Bob the Drag Queen. A Clackamas High School student at the time, with a passion for the arts, Barnes soon dreamed up their alien superstar alter ego, Mona Chrome. Then and now, Barnes is a painter, illustrator, costume designer, and avid dancer.

“I went ‘Oh, this is a combination of all the things I like to do artistically, all into one,’” they told the Mercury.

Wanting to name themself after a pun, Barnes struck upon Mona Chrome—not only for the allusion to color theory, but also as a reference to the Mona Lisa. None of Chrome’s costumes were ever monochromatic, and now she’s built up a wardrobe colorful enough to, as she puts it, “look like a walking crayon box.”

“I serve a cunty look, and I strut around, whip my hair everywhere, vogue a little bit. That’s the main essence of a Mona number,” Barnes said, explaining that they draw inspiration for their over-the-top personal style from cartoon villains, like the mercenary Shego from Disney’s Kim Possible.

In 2018, Chrome debuted on stage at Darcelle XV Showplace’s all-ages revue, “To Catch a Rising Star,” after a former Darcelle’s cast member encouraged them to apply. And in 2019, Barnes took voguing classes from Daniel Gíron, AKA Papi Ada, father of Portland ballroom house, the House of Ada, who many will remember from HBO Max’s show Legendary.

Chrome belongs to the kiki House of Moschino, who she represents when walking ball competition categories like runway and best dressed.

“[Both drag and ballroom] are performance arts,” Barnes said, “but with drag, I more so show off my specific persona, and for balls there’s usually a theme. I like seeing what I can do with the theme and the time allotted—and seeing what everyone else does, competitively showing off their creative brains. There’s this big aspect of family and community in ballroom—and there is in drag, but I think there’s a big difference in how ballroom approaches community and family versus drag.”

Most drag shows in Portland take place in 21 and over bars, so Chrome was a little Girl, Interrupted when the pandemic hit, having just turned legal drinking age a few months before. However, she decided to wait things out at home (declining the pivot to video route) and returned to performance as bars opened again.

Now, Chrome is booked and busy all across town, but can most often be seen at CC Slaughters, performing in regular drag shows Black Magic and Trans-Uhh-Licious, which guarantee stage space for Black, trans, and nonbinary drag performers.

“There’s always good energy at those shows,” Barnes said. “We all get along and throw jokes and jabs at each other.”

Over their six year career, Barnes has only seen Chrome’s style grow more extra, in her detailing and stage presence.

Chrome’s biggest shows thus far have been in the Dragfort pavilion at Boise’s Treefort Festival, and during the world record-breaking 48-hour Drag-A-Thon last summer at Darcelle’s. Both were unnerving: Barnes wasn’t sure what to expect with Idaho’s socially conservative culture, and she wasn’t used to performing after the bars closed, during her 2-4 am Drag-A-Thon shift. She was a hit at both.

Barnes says they owe their success to following their artistic instincts, and checking in with more seasoned friends, like performers Jocelyn Knobs, one-half NelSon, Boujee Cherry, and Wanda Aqua Flora. “I just stuck to my guns and didn’t really worry if anyone else was doing what I was doing or if it was different enough,” Barnes said. “I just did it because I liked it, and it worked out.”