Painted by Rain & Luminous
Chelsea’s Debut Artbooks
Late summer, 18 months into the pandemic, I found myself filling a notebook with words. . . Sitting in sand, watching the waves, my first poems crashing onto the pages, diving into a new art form, one that is raw, divine. . .. . Painted by Rain was born.
Painted by Rain my debut artbook, was printed in April 2023. Luminous, my second book, is debuting in 2026. The book’s tactile, accordion folded construction, photography and poetry create a multifaceted experience that is strikingly profound. They are deeply personal, yet share universal topics of addiction, motherhood, stifled creativity and responses to world events. They gather fragments of the naked voice and share stories held in many hearts.
Painted by Rain and Luminous were created in collaboration with design synergist Monica Austin. The books are 7” by 7” when folded, they unfold to 13 1/2 feet long. The viewer can turn the pages like normal books, or unfold them to see the whole fluid piece. They were printed and hand constructed in West Haven, CT at GHP Media, the first press is 100 copies. Painted by Rain and Luminous have accompanying soundscapes created by Sarah LeMieux.
Chelsea’s Poems and Photographs from Painted by Rain
Until the frost / And snow will come / Dark days . . . / Feelings of blue / Overwhelmed, crying / For reasons unknown / But for now / Until the frost . . . I am here
Grace / A pool . . . / Of unknown / Held at the edge / Diving into my heart / Depths of tears / For time stolen away . . . / Stolen by too much / But sober now / And strong / A pool of reflecting / And future of grace
Treasures / With gratitude / For every day / A practice / Of creativity / In the every day / Comes treasures / Beyond knowing / A voice found / Dreams discovered / Tears welling / Like rain, rich & lush
