Suzanne's Mom's Blog

Photo: Rainworks.
Peregrine Church is shown working with a stencil on a sunny day in frequently rainy Seattle. When finished, his sidewalk art will appear only when wet.

John was the one who sent me today’s topic, suggesting it might be blog-worthy. If I used categories, I guess I’d have to file this one under Don’t You Love the Way Artists Think?

Maggie Penman writes at the Washington Post, “Artist Peregrine Church has always struggled with the gloomy weather in the Pacific Northwest.

“ ‘It doesn’t rain so much as it just gets wet,’ he said of the weather in his home city of Seattle, which famously has a near-constant drizzle in the winter.

“Church, 33, a former magician, wanted to come up with new ways to surprise and delight people, in part to help improve his own mood in the dark days of winter.

“He developed an invisible spray that can be used to make sidewalk art that can last for up to four months. The solution is nontoxic and water-based, which means it isn’t flammable and is safe for the environment as it degrades. Most importantly? It ensures his artwork appears only when wet.

“ ‘There are pieces of art out there that give people a reason to look forward to the rainy days,’ Church said. ‘And that’s sort of the mission.’ …

“Church got the idea from a viral video, in which clothes were sprayed with a hydrophobic coating, a substance that protects surfaces from getting wet. A person poured red wine and ketchup on the clothes, but the protective coating caused them to roll right off.

“ ‘I was like, oh that’s really cool. But what if you stenciled that onto something?’ he recalled thinking.

“Church bought various hydrophobic coatings, but none were invisible when dry the way that he was hoping.

He posted about his experiments on Reddit, and a chemical manufacturer reached out to him, asking to partner in making something new.

“After trial and error, they hit on the right formula for Church’s sidewalk art, and he founded his company Rainworks. It’s ‘still a very niche art form,’ Church said. He is the only full-time employee, though he does hire help and supports himself with the small business. …

“Church has worked with schools and universities, such as Indiana University; nonprofits like the Kimball Arts Center in Park City, Utah; and public transit authorities and parks departments in Washington state to create fun distractions for people waiting for a bus or walking down the street on a dreary day. He’s made a maze near a bus stop, an environmental message in a park, an ode to rain on the sidewalk.

“Recently, the Seattle Department of Transportation brought in Rainworks to make temporary, rain-activated artworks near a bus stop and sidewalk outside of a middle school. It was covered by the Seattle Times. …

“The middle-school students in particular have really responded to the rain art [the department’s Allison Schwartz] said. ‘You could just see their faces light up,’ she said.

“In nearby Kirkland, the city is using rain art to create messages about pollution prevention.

“ ‘Lake Washington starts here,’ reads one of Church’s artworks in a park near the lake. ‘Don’t pollute. Protect our fish.’ …

“In addition to being commissioned by cities and schools, Church also sells the spray and stencils so people can make their own rainworks. He’s seen his product used for rain-activated surprises, such as marriage proposals, gender reveals and graduation messages.

“The only challenge is timing. The ground needs to be dry enough to make the art and then wet enough for it to show up.

“Church said he hopes he can inspire others in a way that ‘breaks people out of their day-to-day monotony.’

“ ‘The whole goal is to make people smile when it rains,’ he said.”

More at the Post, here. Great photos.