Meet Grace Bolyard

Today we’d like to introduce you to Grace Bolyard.

Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I’ve been drawing my entire life. I’ve always loved offbeat humor and spooky stuff. There are journals from when I was really small with drawings of killer whales mauling children and people tied to laboratory tables. I think my aesthetic has mellowed slightly since then, but the general vibe remains the same. Those early art sensibilities yielded a queer adult with an affinity for Edward Gorey, Elvira, drag queens, and the supernatural.

As a teenager, I came out as queer, and I found a passion for the world of publishing through my high school newspaper class. Both of those discoveries applied directly to my art. I think realizing I was queer really changed and shaped my voice, and I think as odd as this sounds, learning about the restrictions and guidelines of design actually opened my mind to new possibilities for creation.

I majored in Design Studies at ASU, then learned more about local art and design by working at Phoenix New Times. In 2015 I created a collaborative art zine called The Paper Plane, which really got me engaged with the arts community. Around the same time, I volunteered some design and illustration work for Phoenix Girls Rock, and that’s when I really started to feel like all of my work was coalescing to be reflective of me as a whole.

Please tell us about your art.
I am a designer and illustrator.

I do freelance graphic design full-time, and that work allows me to connect with my city and my community. Through design, I’m able to help communicate the goals and visions of others. The design work I’m most passionate about is work that’s got lots of creative wiggle room, work I get to do with the LGBTQ community, and any work I get to do with exciting local businesses. I specialize in print design because I’ve always connected strongly with tangible products. When you hold a design in your hands, it just brings a little bit more magic to the experience.

My illustration work is much more personal and much stranger. I drew autobiographical comics for a long time, and now I focus more on standalone illustrations. I like to draw weird pop culture content, and sometimes sort of surrealist humor. Other parts of my work focus on being on the outside, looking in. I collect and draw vintage photos that feel abandoned. Overall, I just want to make art that’s reflective of my perspective and humor, and in a way that allows me to connect with others.

Some of the stuff I’ve made recently:
– A “Reba Moods” zine – a zine that allows you to select your mood each day from a bank of Reba McEntire illustrations
– Fake Ads series – I did several retro-inspired, hand-drawn fake ads that sold everything from invisibility cloaks to palm-sized Danny Devitos
– Inktober – I love vintage horror, so every year I participate in Inktober, a month of spooky drawing prompts in October
– One-of-a-kind Sharpie tees – I created a series of about two dozen Sharpie tees, mostly really weird surrealist humor

I am currently working on a how-to tarot zine and a custom newspaper design for my wedding (with fake ads and articles that include all of our guests + fonts derived from vintage ephemera that I’ve collected and scanned). I’m always drawing. And I’ve started learning how to build simple video games!

Given everything that is going on in the world today, do you think the role of artists has changed? How do local, national, or international events and issues affect your art?
I think artists have always played two main roles: they try to create something nice for people to cling to, and/or they hold a mirror up to society. I definitely strive for the former role; I don’t put a lot of heavy themes in my art uhhhhh because I have anxiety so when I make art I’m trying to get my brain to shut up and have fun. While I don’t intentionally make political art, my work is sometimes inherently political because I’m a queer artist who makes very queer art. I also strive to make inclusive art; I don’t really want to make anything where white people are the default, and I make that known to my clients.

How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
My illustration work is on my Instagram, @thegracequest. I sell prints and zines at etsy.com/shop/thegracequest. I sell tees and hats at thegracequest.bigcartel.com. When people invest in my Etsy and BigCartel products, and when they hire me to create custom illustrations for them, it allows me to bring my personal illustration work to the forefront of my career. And that’s my goal! I would love the ability to do gallery shows, to put out more zines, and to collaborate with other artists.

My design work is all over! I do some page designs for Echo Magazine. I currently have the privilege of designing a bunch of materials for the Dancing for One-N-Ten fundraiser. I do print design for Bubbies Mochi Ice Cream. I create a ton of funny designs for a local raunchy hand towel company called Bad Grandma. I freelance full time, so hire me if you’ve got a project that needs good design!

Contact Info:

• Website: etsy.com/shop/thegracequest
• Email: thegracequest@gmail.com
• Instagram:  instagram.com/thegracequest
• Other: thegracequest.bigcartel.com

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