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Her artworks were some of the only items intact after she lost her house to the Eaton fire
Lifestyle

Her artworks were some of the only items intact after she lost her house to the Eaton fire

Los Angeles Times 2026 intern Willie Gilliespie
Los Angeles Times 2026 summer intern Emily Tarinelli
By Willie Gillespie and Emily Tarinelli
When Chelsea Bayouth and her family lost their Altadena home to the Eaton fire, only fragments of her porcelain ceramics remained. Today, the fire has reshaped her approach to art.

Now working from her in-home studio in Silver Lake, she creates palm-sized sculptures imitating feminine figures and catlike forms, exploring themes of grief, spirituality and motherhood.

The pieces resonate with fellow Eaton fire survivors, some of whom embrace the whimsical figures as protective guardians and first artworks in new homes.
Lifestyle
Willie Gillespie

Willie Gillespie was a 2026 summer intern on the video desk at the Los Angeles Times. Originally from Libertyville, Ill., he is a senior journalism major at the University of Oklahoma and works for the student newspaper, the OU Daily. You can connect with him on X @wgillespietv.

Emily Tarinelli

Emily Tarinelli is a features intern at the Los Angeles Times. She earned her master’s degree in data journalism from Stanford University in 2026, and her bachelor’s degree in English from Mount Holyoke College in 2025. Her byline has appeared in LAist, Pleasanton Weekly, Peninsula Press and more. Previously, she worked as a news anchor for Amherst Media and worked in the communications field. She takes special interest in stories about gender, art and joy.

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