From Life Hurdles to 3D Paintings with Ava Grayson
For our Women In Arts Network readers, this conversation with Ava Grayson offers an unfiltered look at how creativity can become a voice for lived experience. In this interview, Ava talks openly about using painting—especially her striking 3D paintings—as a way to tell her life story, turning challenges into multi-layered works that invite viewers to keep discovering new details.
She explains how her mixed media approach—combining oils, acrylics, modelling paste, and 3D plywood elements—brings both texture and movement to her pieces. We learn about her process, from knowing when a piece is ready, to balancing time in the studio with everyday demands, to her vision for work that draws people in and stirs a sense of connection. Ava leaves us with a reminder that the most resonant art comes from working with what is real for you, and letting that guide the journey.
As a self-taught artist, I use art to share my traumatic life story with the world, showing people that being honest and authentic is a strength. I refuse to be bound by traditional constraints and explore many facets of my imagination. I use multiple mediums – oils, acrylics, and modelling paste – which create layers of texture and colour on the surfaces. As each layer adds something new, this creates complex multi-dimensional pieces. I use multiple pieces of plywood to add a 3D effect. Changing the colours and adding depth and emotion, allowing the observer to discover new details whenever they look at it. Emphasising the importance of sharing vulnerable narratives by delving into the emotional and spiritual layers of my human experience, while empowering others on their life’s journey. ‘You are not the darkness you endured. You are the light that refused to surrender. – (John Mark Green)
1. How did you get started in your art career?
I have been creative all my life, but it has only been in the last 5 years that I have worked and developed my paintings. Life has been full of hurdles and challenges, and I have found the need to tell my story of self-discovery through my perspective.
When my piece is showing the right emotional connection that I am trying to portray, sometimes I will put it aside until I feel that one stroke that will make it complete.
Ava Grayson
2. When you’re creating something new, what makes you pause and say, This is working?
When my piece shows the proper emotional connection that I am trying to portray, I sometimes put a nearly finished piece aside until I feel that one stroke that will make it complete.
3. How do you balance your personal life with your art career?
With deliberate planning, we schedule dedicated art time. With my time, I go with the flow of my emotions. If I don’t feel a connection to any one piece at that time, I’ll prepare about five pieces instead, which might include cutting, canvassing, framing, or painting an under-colour for the background. This helps me manage my time more effectively.
4. How do you envision the future of your art and its impact on the world?
With deliberate planning, we schedule dedicated art time. With my time, I go with the flow of my emotions. If I don’t feel a connection to any one piece at that time, I’ll prepare about five pieces instead, which might involve cutting, canvassing, framing, or painting an under-colour for the background. This helps me manage my time more effectively.
Authenticity, working with your truth is your magic. Not what you think the world wants from you.
Ava Grayson
5. What mediums and techniques do you primarily work with?
I enjoy working with mixed media, oils, acrylics, wood carving, and sanding to create pieces that feel like stepping into a world, drawing you into an adventure and using multiple techniques such as layering, dabbing, palette knife work and blocking. I will use what I pick up at the time to complete the piece.
6. Do you have any parting words of wisdom for our readers or aspiring artists?
Authenticity, working with your truth is your magic. Not what you think the world wants from you. Be real and create whatever makes your soul sing.
Ava Grayson’s work is about transforming lived experiences into layered, tactile pieces that draw you in for a closer look. Through her use of mixed media, she creates a physical and emotional depth that encourages viewers to notice something new each time.
From this conversation, we see how her journey is built on persistence, experimentation, and an unshakable commitment to speaking through her materials. Her art reminds us that creativity can be both a space of discovery and a bridge between people.
To learn more about Ava, visit the links below.
