Painted by Rain, Chelsea’s Debut Artbook
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 is my debut artbook, printed in April 2023. The book’s tactile, accordion folded construction, photography and poetry create a multifaceted experience that is strikingly profound. It is deeply personal, yet shares universal topics of addiction, motherhood, and stifled creativity.
Painted by Rain was created in collaboration with design synergist Monica Austin. The book is 7” by 7” when folded, it unfolds to 13 1/2 feet long. The viewer can turn the pages like a normal book, or unfold it to see the whole fluid piece. It was printed and hand constructed in West Haven, CT at GHP Media, the first press was 100 copies. Painted by Rain has an accompanying soundscape 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
