The Lone Beader
aka. Diana Grygo
Q&A:
What are your earliest memories of being artistic? As a child, I was always working on some sort of art or craft and I remember spending hours doing cross-stitch under a tree. I also enjoyed making collages with my younger sister.
When did art become a pursuit? I started out as a musician, as I played the viola from 4th grade through college. It wasn’t until after college that I switched to a visual art.
Are you self-taught or formally educated in visual art? I am self-taught. I read many books and magazines about beadwork.
How did you first become involved with CAA? One of my largest beaded paintings, Gasoline District, was juried into the 2009 Northeast Prize Show, so I decided to join.
Red Square, glass seed beads & acrylics.
In what other ways are you involved in the local art community? I am an Etsy Artist (aka. The Lone Beader) and have been involved in the local Etsy community doing shows when it fits my schedule. Both Etsy and Amazon Handmade keep me pretty busy, as I receive many custom order requests for beaded dog pins and pet portraits. I am also always searching for shows to enter my latest beaded paintings.
What role do you think the artist plays in society? Art, particularly beaded art, connects people of other cultures and I believe this is extremely important. Art and craft provides people in a community with an outlet that helps them express their inner conflicts and/or connect with their inner soul, rather than their computer screen. Also, humans ability to create art separates us from other living species.
What medium do you currently work in and how did you choose this medium? I like to call my style ‘extreme bead embroidery’. I stitch tiny glass seed beads to felt. It was my most favorite beading technique and I stuck with it. What makes my work unique is that most of my pieces are in relief, and they really pop out of the canvas. I achieve this by layering many felt pieces and stitching them together before doing the beadwork.
What is your creative process? Where are you finding ideas for your art these days? My inspiration for my larger works comes from places I’ve traveled. And inspiration for my custom beaded dog pins and portraits comes from customers who send me photos of their pets. I have a long list of pieces I plan to create!
Tux (custom beaded pet portrait), glass seed
beads & vintage glass flower beads.
How do you choose your subject matter? Is there a reoccurring theme that carries throughout your work? Some people consider my work to be whimsical, but to me it is realism. Subject matter is usually a city scene with cars and dogs. These are things most people love and can relate to.
In your opinion, what’s your best/favorite piece you’ve made? My favorite piece at the moment is “Red Square”. It is 30″ x 40″ and features a boy flying a red kite. It was inspired by my visit to Russia. The piece has a taken me a number of years to create, so I am proud that it is finally complete!
What is one of your artistic goals? I hope to continue writing beading patterns and someday compile a book full of them, as I receive many requests for patterns to make my beaded dogs. I would also love to work with an author or illustrator to create beaded characters for a children’s book.
What’s your favorite place to see art? I love attending art shows and museums when I can, but my favorite places to see art these days are in nature as well as ancient Mayan ruins.
Turquoise Browed Motmot (custom beaded
statement earrings), glass seed beads.
What living artists are you inspired by? Joyce Scott, Betsy Youngquist, Sherry Serafini, & Douglas W. Johnson.
Do you own any art by other artists? Yes!!
Do you have any shows coming up? Pending!!