Today we’d like to introduce you to Gyona Rice.
Hi Gyona, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’ve always been creative, and I grew up in a family where making things was just a normal part of life. My dad painted and sold clothing, my mom baked and decorated cakes, my grandmother sold food, and my grandfather built and sold BBQ pits. I didn’t necessarily understand it as entrepreneurship or a creative career at the time, but I was constantly surrounded by people making something with their hands and finding ways to turn their creativity into something tangible.
I eventually studied graphic design at Bowling Green State University, where I earned my BFA. That’s also where I really became serious about my fine art practice and fell in love with printmaking. Graphic design and art started developing alongside each other for me. Design taught me how to communicate visually, think about an audience, solve problems, and be intentional with things like composition, typography, and hierarchy. My artwork gave me a space that was much more personal and experimental.
Since then, I’ve worked professionally as a graphic designer across different industries while continuing to build my career as an artist. My practice has expanded beyond printmaking into mixed media, fiber, painting, digital work, and installation. A lot of my work explores Black life, memory, family, identity, growth, and the everyday experiences that shape us.
Over time, I’ve also become really interested in creating opportunities for other artists, whether that’s through workshops, exhibitions, artist programming, or community-based projects. I think where I am now is really a combination of all of those experiences. I’m a designer, an artist, and someone who loves helping people feel like creativity is something they can participate in—not something that only belongs to a certain type of person.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely hasn’t been a completely smooth road. One of the biggest challenges has been figuring out how to balance being both a working graphic designer and a practicing artist. A lot of creative careers don’t have a clear path, so I’ve had to learn how to create opportunities for myself while also working full-time and continuing to develop my own work.
I’ve also had to learn the business side of being creative—things like pricing my work, applying for exhibitions and opportunities, promoting myself, networking, and understanding that rejection is just part of the process. There have been plenty of applications I didn’t get, opportunities that didn’t work out, and moments where I questioned whether I was moving fast enough.
Another challenge has been learning to trust my own creative voice. As a graphic designer, you’re often creating for a client, an audience, or a specific goal, while being an artist asks you to be much more personal and vulnerable. It took time for me to separate those two mindsets and become comfortable making work that really felt like mine.
I think those challenges have made me more resourceful. I’ve learned to keep creating even when there isn’t a perfect opportunity in front of me, to build relationships with other creatives, and to create some of the spaces and opportunities I wish I had earlier in my career.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My work lives between graphic design, printmaking, and mixed media. Professionally, I work as a graphic designer, where I focus on visual communication, storytelling, layout, branding, and creating work that is both visually engaging and purposeful. As an artist, I’m especially drawn to printmaking because of how physical and intentional the process is. I also incorporate painting, fiber, digital elements, collage, and other materials depending on what the piece needs.
A lot of my personal artwork centers around Black life, memory, family, identity, growth, and the everyday experiences that shape who we become. I’m interested in creating work that feels familiar and personal while still allowing someone else to see pieces of their own life within it. Visually, I tend to be drawn to bold figures, expressive compositions, texture, pattern, and combining traditional processes with more contemporary materials.
I think one thing that sets me apart is that I don’t see design and fine art as completely separate worlds. My graphic design background influences how I think about composition, color, storytelling, and how a viewer moves through an image, while my art practice keeps me experimental and willing to work outside of a set format.
I’m especially proud of the fact that I’ve continued building my art practice while also working professionally as a designer. I’ve been able to exhibit my work, collaborate with other artists, teach workshops, and create programming that supports other creatives. Some of the moments I’m most proud of are when the work goes beyond just being displayed and actually creates conversation, connection, or an opportunity for someone else to make something too.
Ultimately, I think I’m known for being multidisciplinary and for creating work that feels both visually strong and deeply personal. I’m always interested in learning a new process, combining materials in unexpected ways, and finding different ways to tell a story.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I think risk-taking is a necessary part of being creative, even though I wouldn’t necessarily describe myself as someone who takes risks just for the sake of it. For me, risk usually looks like being willing to try something before I feel completely ready.
A lot of my biggest creative decisions have involved that kind of uncertainty. Continuing to pursue my art practice while building a career as a graphic designer has been one of them. There isn’t always a clear roadmap for how to balance both, so I’ve had to create my own path, apply for opportunities I wasn’t sure I would get, put my work in front of new audiences, and say yes to experiences that pushed me outside of what I already knew how to do.
I also take risks within the work itself. I started primarily with printmaking, but over time I’ve allowed myself to incorporate fiber, painting, digital processes, collage, installation, and other materials. Sometimes that means making something without knowing exactly what the finished piece will look like. I’ve learned that experimentation is often where I discover the most interesting parts of my practice.
Putting personal experiences into my artwork has also felt like a form of risk-taking. There is vulnerability in creating something that comes from your family, your memories, your identity, or a difficult period in your life and then allowing other people to interpret it.
I’ve learned that risk doesn’t always have to mean making one huge dramatic decision. Sometimes it’s submitting the application, reaching out to someone you admire, trying a new material, proposing your own idea, or allowing yourself to be seen before everything feels perfect. I try to think of risk as giving myself the opportunity to grow. Even when something doesn’t work out the way I hoped, I usually leave with more information, more confidence, or a clearer idea of what I want to do next.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://msha.ke/gyonarice
