The Audacity to Try Elizabeth Gray’s Colorful Path to Creative Joy

Photos By: Ashlee Glen

Elizabeth Gray never set out to be an artist. In fact, her first creative pursuit was edible—wedding cakes, to be exact. “I was living in a small apartment while attending culinary school and found myself saying ‘yes!’ to make wedding cakes for friends,” she recalled. “It made sense—I’d always loved creating with food, especially sweets, plus I was achieving a personal goal to work for myself.”

But then, according to Gray, things just snowballed into more than she could handle for her small, in-home operation. With no space for expanding her business and health concerns mounting, Gray knew she had to pivot.

What she found was a new medium, one that began as a therapeutic outlet: hand lettering.

“What started as a hobby for stress relief has turned into so much more,” she said. “All creative things are connected in a way.”

Today, Gray is a self-taught lettering artist, illustrator, and muralist whose work blends crisp lines, vibrant colors, and a whimsical spirit that refuses to be boxed in. From black-and-white compositions to playful gel nail designs and large-scale public art, she’s continuously evolving. Her style?

“Crisp, colorful, and adventurous,” she said. “When I feel stuck, I shift.”

Gray’s creative journey hasn’t been without hurdles—chief among them, the internal doubt of not having a formal art education. “I’ve often felt less than because I didn’t go to art school,” she admitted. “But I also don’t think, had I done that, I could have specialized in lettering in the same way I have now.” Instead, she’s built her skillset through experimentation, books, online classes, and a healthy dose of “delusional confidence.”

That openness to learning, she says, allows her to trust her instincts and follow ideas—even when they seem strange. “Food keeps showing up in my work—it feels personal, and right, and it’s something I have a deep connection with.”

Virginia’s natural beauty also plays a role in her artistic perspective. Whether she’s painting state birds and blooms in a mural or simply noticing how the sunlight hits her kitchen floor, Gray finds meaning in the ordinary. “Didn’t someone call it ‘the art of noticing?’” she said. “There are SO many mediums and so many ways to express yourself—but no matter what you make, it will always be your style.”

She’s brought that personal style to partnerships with brands like OPI, Sharpie, and TikTok, always on her own terms. “They hired me for me,” Gray said. “Instead of feeling pressure to reinvent myself…I remind myself that I don’t have anything to prove.” The key, she believes, is blending strategy with authenticity.

Her murals—bold and community-minded—have taught her to problem-solve in ways that go far beyond color palettes and typefaces. “Public art always has specific goals…. Murals can make or break the vibe of a space,” she explained. “I’ve painted through intense heat, freezing temps, and utter exhaustion… but the feeling of completing a huge project like that is nothing short of euphoric.”

Equally impactful is her coloring book, a passion project born out of a desire to offer others a no-pressure space to create. “Sometimes, you don’t want to have to have the idea but you still feel the urge to create,” she said.

“I hope it encourages people to take time for themselves.”

Gray’s candor extends to her online presence, where she’s cultivated a community of fans and fellow creatives. She attributes that growth to one thing: showing up as herself. “If you’re not enjoying what you’re making, odds are, others won’t either,” she said. “Lean into what you like.”

Whether she’s filming a voiceover with wired headphones or sketching mural ideas on her apartment walls, Gray isn’t waiting around for permission. “If I had waited until I felt ready to share my work, I’d probably still be waiting,” she said. “Choose yourself… and just try something.”

That spirit—bold, introspective, and joyfully curious—is the thread running through all of Gray’s work. “Create, fail, learn, repeat,” she said. “Oh, and don’t read all the comments.”

 

Muralist paints life on a large scale

Muralist Andrew Williams has always been an artist. Born in West Palm Beach, Florida, Williams’ mother was a proponent of his connection with the arts from an early age.

“I had great access to art stores,” Williams remembered. “My mom would buy charcoal pencil sets and paper—I still have my first drawing pad. It started with charcoal drawings, and then I got into drawing Disney characters. From there, I transitioned to watercolor.”

That transition to watercolor was the first time Williams experimented with color—an experiment that led to his future as the muralist he is today. In 2016, Williams was contracted by The Draper Mercantile and Trading Company in Draper, Virginia, for a large-scale mural.

“I was good friends with the folks at Draper Mercantile and I had gifted the owner a watercolor of the building,” he said. “She offered to have me take a stab at the wall outside, which already had a mural on it, but it was faded. It’s a 160-foot wall and was the first mural I ever did.”

The Draper Mercantile mural took three months for Williams to complete. The process began with sketches with pen and pencil on paper and then, once approved by the owner, the design transitioned onto the wall surface.

“While I was working on that mural, I was contacted by someone from Wytheville to do a 90-foot mural,” Williams said. “And it just kind of snowballed from there.”

In 2018, Williams’ muralist work brought him to Lynchburg when he was commissioned to paint a mural of Donkey Kong at The Water Dog. Then, just a few years later, The Water Dog team commissioned Williams to paint a large-scale sign for the entrance of Oktoberfest in downtown Lynchburg.

“Dave [one of the owners of The Water Dog] wanted Donkey Kong, so that was pretty straight forward,” he explained. “But, as for the Oktoberfest sign, that was an incorporation of the logo mixed with German characters and beer. Dave pushed the envelope for me with the Oktoberfest sign because it opened up a different path to travel down and seeing the opportunities that can come with that. I’m excited to see the evolution of public art, and that’s what I’m trying to focus on for these next few years. I’m excited to see what’s next after murals for public art—what balances between a mural, a sculpture, etc. I’m excited to continue to explore the beautification of public events.”

Williams’ work keeps him traveling all over Virginia—hopping from one commission to the next. As of this writing, Williams has just finished a memorial for a WWII veteran and is currently working on a three-dimensional mural in Roanoke.

“I’m at the point in my career where I can find a wall that’s begging to be beautified,” Williams said. “I see a vision, and then I cold call it and pitch it. I’m not afraid to tackle any sort of project that someone may have. The more unique and the more crazy a project is, the more I want to do it.
I’m not scared to push the envelope on some of these projects.”