Kasey Rainbow on channeling life’s good and bad into lively art

Life’s not always sunshine and roses, but creative force Kasey Rainbow channels the good and the bad into beautiful works. You’ve likely seen them on the streets of Brisbane.

Rainbow is the name and technicolour art is the game for self-proclaimed colour-holic creative, Kasey. Kasey Rainbow, that is.

“Yes, Rainbow is my real surname,” beams the 33-year old who lives with husband Owen, 36, and their daughter Darcy, 4, in Birkdale in Brisbane’s southeast.

Brisbane artist/author Kasey Rainbow.

Kasey is a jack of all trades when it comes to creative pursuits. As a self-taught artist she’s put her pencil, paintbrush and iPad stylus to branding, illustration, jewellery, product and textile design.

This year she collated the artwork of 100 Australian artists to make a colouring book that raised funds for those affected by the devastating bushfires that burned across the nation.

Last year she worked with Brisbane sisters Kate Russell and Chloe Rowe to design a quintessentially Kasey Rainbow print for their vibrant and quirky Jericho Road Clothing label.

Jericho Road Clothing founders Kate Russell (wearing a Kasey Rainbow print) and Chloe Rowe.

Sydney-based clothing label Little Party Dress uses her vibrant designs regularly for their collections, and often sell out.

Then there are Kasey’s personality portraits.

Usually commissioned by fans of Kasey’s art, the faceless portraits capture a subject’s unique personality through pose, colour and funky fashions.

A personality portrait by Kasey Rainbow

“I liken my skill set to that of a kid’s party lolly bag – you never know what you’re going to get, but you know it’s going to be good,” she says.

“And with a surname like Rainbow I was never going to design with neutrals.

“Plus, it’s hard to find bright colourful designs in today’s market – everything is about beige and mustard. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against mustard. Beige on the other hand …”

Of all her creations though, Kasey says there are a special few that are particularly precious. Number one: her six-year marriage to “best friend and safe place” Owen, a graphic designer.

Kasey, Darcy and Owen Rainbow. Image: supplied

“He gave me the best surname in the world,” Kasey muses in a loved-up Instagram post. “When I feel that I am drowning, he is there to help me float … he quietens all the crazy when the world just seems too loud.”

And for Kasey, the noise of life has at times been deafening, particularly after being diagnosed with postnatal depression after giving birth to daughter Darcy in late 2015.

“It was a very dark time in my life,” she remembers.

She sought help from a psychologist and in 18 months of treatment unloaded emotional baggage she had been lugging around for 13 years.

“I went through a lot when I was young – bullying, self-harm, eating disorders, anxiety and depression,” Kasey says.

“During my time in therapy, I became really passionate about wanting to help others, especially children, in regards to mental health.”

The experience gave rise to another “precious” project – a children’s book based on her and Darcy that would gently introduce the notion of mental health to children.

Kasey wrote, illustrated and self-published the hardcover book in 2017.

When I Grow Up, by Kasey Rainbow

“It is my proudest professional achievement,” she says.

Kasey was invited into childcare centres across Brisbane to read When I Grow Up to eager classes of four year olds. One occasion will stay with her forever.

“I started reading. There was lots of chatter and interaction. It was fabulous,” she starts.

Then she got to the superhero page, illustrated with a young, blind boy in

a superhero costume clutching the lead of a seeing eye dog.

It reads: When I grow up, I’ll be a superhero/Although I don’t really look the part/But you won’t save people with your sight/You will save them with your heart.

“I don’t know why, but I decided to talk about him,” Kasey says.

“I explained that he could not see … but told them that even those who couldn’t see could still be great, amazing, superheroes. As I was talking about the character, the kids began whispering and looking over at a little boy sitting at the edge of the group. Let’s call him Johnny.”

Then the magic happened.

“One of the other kids called out to me, ‘Excuse me! Johnny’s blind’, and then I saw his glasses. I said to the other kids, ‘Well,

I bet you Johnny will be a fabulous superhero’. I looked over at him and he didn’t say a word, but I saw it. He had the biggest smile on his face.”

Kasey says in that moment she knew that even if she never sold another book, it did not matter. “Because I had made that one kid believe in himself and that’s all I ever hoped to achieve.”

Kasey and daughter Darcy read two of her published books

The book came to life with the help of Kasey’s community of friends and fans who crowd-funded $5000 for the project in two weeks. It sold out, and in doing so raised $4000 for mental health charity Beyond Blue. It also healed Kasey.

“In order for me to tell my story properly and explain to people my reasons behind publishing the book, I had to open up about my own mental health – something most people were not aware of,” she says. “Since opening up and releasing that book, I feel like I have truly been able to be myself.”

She went on to write a second book, Big Love, Little Book (2018), in which she collated the words of 38 women into a journal-style affirmation book for anyone feeling alone in their new journey through motherhood.

It includes excerpts from TV host, blogger, and designer Emmylou MacCarthy (@emmylou-loves) who has an Instagram following of nearly 98,000 people inspired by her no-holds-barred approach to self-love, motherhood and life in general.

There’s also a page from mental health advocate and mummy-blogger Abby Gilmore (@abbgilmore), whose relationship with AFL player and former partner, Jake Stringer, broke down publicly only months after the birth of their second daughter.

Kasey and Darcy Rainbow. Picture: Brooke Staff

The book was another sellout and this time a portion of profits supported women and their families suffering from peri-natal anxiety or depression.

Kasey says she has another children’s book in the works, but she’s staying hush on the details.

“Kindness is one of the things I value most in the world, so it makes my heart happy knowing that I have been able to help others,” she says.

In the past three years, her books, designs and artistic projects have raised more than $57,000 for charity. And that’s something she’s hoping to do a lot more

of since quitting her marketing job in February to focus fully on her creative and charitable pursuits.

“I am so incredibly excited as this has been my dream for as long as I can remember, but I always thought it was just that, a dream,” she says.

“But now I have actually taken the chance on myself and am going to see where this new journey leads me.”

Oscar Folded Fauna Dress with Kasey Rainbow designed print, $64.95, littlepartydress.com.au

With more of her art out in the world, Kasey may even be able to tick off a first

– spotting one of her colourful creations, most likely a fabric design, “in the wild”.

“Would you believe this hasn’t happened to me yet?” she exclaims.

“So many of my family and friends have seen my designs in the wild, and they will always call or text me with so much excitement. It makes me so happy just knowing they are out there.”

But this milestone comes with a warning for the women of Brisbane.

“If I happen to spot you wearing one of my designs, watch out,” Kasey says. “I’ll be like a kid at their first party.”

And when she’s not writing, drawing or designing?

“I’ll be making the most of each day with family and friends, eating one too many tacos and raising my margarita to a colourful life.”