Painted Raina | Iridescent Acrylic Jewelry & Mythic Design

A three-panel collage: the top panel shows Raina and Jon taking a selfie on a boat with diving gear in the background; the bottom-left panel shows Raina riding a camel in Egypt with the pyramids behind her; the bottom-right panel shows several cats cuddling together on a blue blanket.

Hi, I'm Raina

I'm an artist, rock musician, scuba diver, cat mom, bookworm, luthier apprentice, and alien enthusiast. I'm a landlocked mermaid - I live and create in La Crosse, WI, but consider myself half-Mainer due to strong family ties and summers spent in Boothbay Harbor.

I’ve always been drawn to the mysterious places of the world. I'd rather be at the ocean, always. From the North Atlantic to the Caribbean, the wild Pacific, and the languid Mediterranean, I love it all. I'm fascinated by maritime archaeology and though a nasty case of submechanophobia prevents me from diving them, I'll watch shows about shipwrecks until I form gills. I also love terrestrial archaeology and plan our travels around scuba diving and history... Egypt, Italy, Spain, the British Isles, Peru and Mexico are a few we've visited so far.

While I'm working, either on art or repairing guitars, I listen to audiobooks or music. I'm currently reading the Dungeon Crawler Carl series on the heels of finishing the entirety of The Dresden Files. I've recently enjoyed the 'Maasverse' books (ACOTAR, ToG, CC), the Fourth Wing series, and Sophie Keetch's Morgan le Fay trilogy. My favorite books of all time are Deborah Harkness' Discovery of Witches saga and, of course, The Lord of the Rings (also my favorite movies of all time!).

I'm a musician - singer, songwriter, guitar player, and pianist. I've released one EP under the name Raina Maris and I'm currently working on two yet-unreleased studio projects. My favorite bands/artists are Sleep Token, NIN, Halestorm, Rival Sons, Ghost, Evanescence, PJ Harvey, Loreena McKennitt, Tool, and Pink Floyd.

Did I mention I'm also a Trekkie? My husband Jon, our three cats, Orpheus (Orphi - gray), Purrsephone (Sephi - tabby), and Poseidon (Poe - black), and I like to end our days cuddled on the couch with something sci-fi or historical, or both, like Ancient Aliens. It's a good life.

From Illustration to Jewelry

Painted Raina grew out of my love of painting and illustration and the desire to turn my art into something people could actually wear.

Every piece starts as artwork before it ever becomes jewelry.

I hand draw all my designs and digital paintings in Procreate, then export them and transform them into laser files.

I prototype each design, make any adjustments I need for structural integrity or aesthetics, and then make it in several colors or combinations until I'm happy. This usually involves me cursing myself out at least once per product invention.

I cut each piece, paint them when needed, and assemble each earring or necklace myself, so you know each piece is entirely made by me (and my laser). No mass production, and definitely no 'dropshipping and pretending'!

I do my best to use every sheet of acrylic to the absolute maximum and never throw any remnants in the garbage. When there's a car load, I'll deliver them to a proper recycler.

The process is part illustration, part mad-scientist-esque experimentation, and almost entirely a great time!