Grace Close has been drawing ever since the moment her mom put a crayon in her hand and a paper in front of her, at around the age of 3.
She immediately fell in love with creating things with her hands. Every birthday and Christmas, her wish list consisted exclusively of art supplies. Now, she’s an illustrator, painter and printmaker making all kinds of art that effortlessly blends cool and cute, while capturing snapshots of daily life.
Tell us more about how you got started on your art journey.
My family played a huge role in this journey, having many talented members including my uncle Alan
(@apocdesign) who creates art professionally. Seeing him make a career out of his craft made me wonder if maybe that was something I could do as well. Art was one of the only things that ever truly interested me. With my dad being an art major in college and the consistent encouragement from my parents (even when my art was mediocre) they always pushed me to keep creating. Their support led me to Grand Valley State University, where I impulsively chose printmaking as my major, based solely on how it stood out to me as the most interesting in the program pamphlet. At the time, I’d only ever created one linocut, but I decided to go for it, setting my sights on receiving a bachelors in printmaking.
How did that time influence you?
I’m beyond grateful for my experience at GVSU. Through college, I deepened my love for art and more specifically printmaking. I became mesmerized in the making of linocuts, the incredibly fine details you could accomplish with etching and the subtle contrast that you could achieve with aquatints. Almost every day of class, I would think of how incredibly lucky and privileged I was to be able to study and hone my skills in something I was so passionate about. I spent most of my 4 years staying up into the wee hours of the morning at Calder Arts Center. I practically lived in my studio there, and I loved every moment of it. I owe so much of my growth to my incredible professors Jill Eggers, Brett Colley, and Dellas Henke, they pushed me beyond what I thought I was capable of.
What are your biggest influences?
My artistic influences are rooted in the media I consumed while growing up. I found inspiration while watching Ghibli movies, Looney Tunes, and Laika Studios films. More recently, it’s been through artists like Aya Takano, Dana Schutz, Kim Jung-Gi, and Yoshitomo Nara. But that’s just a short list—I’ve found of so many amazing artists through social media and their creativity always drives me to work harder on my own skills.
What do you hope to evoke with your work?
Recently, a prominent aspect of my artistic direction involves nostalgia and innocence. I often depict obscured female figures in a way that invites viewers to unravel the mysteries and confront the disquieting elements lurking beneath the surface. I really enjoy playing around with the tension between the known and the unsettling, between innocence and imminent danger. I am inspired by my own childhood and young adulthood and the slow but eye-opening realization that I was sheltered and naive to the world, coming from a small town and protective but loving parents I attempt to express that relationship with wanting to stay naive to the world while showing the inevitably of growing up and being exposed to it all.
Do you feel like Grand Rapids is a good place to be an artist?
Grand Rapids has now been my home for around 7 years and I’ve found so much inspiration through the creative people I’ve met, it’s been lovely to find a community that loves art almost as much as me.
What have you worked on recently that you’re proud of?
Recently to get out of a creative block, I set up a challenge for myself to create a comic everyday for a whole year, starting on January 28 of 2025, and I’ve been successful thus far and haven’t missed a day! I’m quite proud and excited to continue for the rest of this year.
I'm planning to show the body of work at some sort of studio or exhibit, and if youíd like to follow the journey, you can find me on Instagram @grace.kina.art.
