An Inspired Chat with Elizabeth Dryden of Grand Junction, CO

Elizabeth Dryden shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Elizabeth, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
When I wake up in the morning and enter into my studio to start painting, it is like entering a total time warp. I will start working on a painting for what feels like just 30 minutes, but 7 hours will have passed by without me even noticing! I believe this is how I know I am doing my passion and what God has called me to do as a career. I feel like life is passing by quickly, but mainly because I am having fun and love what I do!

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am a full-time Western Contemporary mixed media artist who focuses on plants and animals from the West and Southwest regions. I love to put a contemporary spin on traditional Western art scenes using materials besides paint to give texture such as paper that Ive painted on and cut out into shapes, cardboard, molding paste, gold leaf and acrylic paint. Bright colors and whimsical compositions of the West combine old subjects in a new, modern light. As a relative of Buffalo Bill Cody, one of my favorite subjects to paint are bison, either dressed up as cowboys or in their element roaming around in the Wild West among flowering cacti under the desert night sky. My focus has mainly been on original art and prints on paper or canvas, which I sell at art festivals, online, and through art galleries. Several years ago I was asked to design the first commercial pair of women’s cowboy boots for Dixon boot company, a custom boot company since the 1890s. I designed the “Yellow Rose” boot for them and it has been so much fun seeing them worn by influencers like Valerie Lamb and country music singers such as The Castellows, while also being sold in stores and online. 2025 has been a great and exciting year for me, as I branched out doing several more collaboration with Fringe Scarf company and Sweetwater Pillows. Fringe scarves, who create 100% silk scarves, chose three of my paintings to create scarves from for their Fall/Winter 2025 line. They turned out beautifully and are great to dress up any outfit! It has been so much fun seeing them in Western Stores throughout the country and online. In addition to this collab, I also partnered with Sweetwater Pillow Company, a leather pillow company out of Wisconsin who create leather pillows with artists’ work. They chose 17 of my pieces to add into their line which can also be found in retail stores throughout the country. The bright colors of my paintings pop out against the soft dark leather and are a great addition to my brand that I am continuing to build. I am excited to see where. my art takes me next!

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
Being an artist and showing your work in front of the public can be super scary and intimidating at times. It’s a very personal piece of your heart and soul that you spent hours creating that may or may not resonate with viewers. I had created a 10 piece body of work in college and had been carrying them around with me for about a year, not sure what to do with them or how to get the series seen by people. I was living in Pullman, Washington at the time and there was a really cool coffee shop located across the street from my condo that had art hanging up. I asked if I could showcase my work there sometime and after they reviewed it, they created a month long show just for me! I was on cloud nine, but also super nervous to put my art in front of the public for all to see. I believe all artists second guess their work, asking themselves, “what if nobody likes it?”, “Is this even good?”, “What if people laugh at me or think I am weird?”, etc. These questions have usually gone through my head at one time or another before showing a new painting, but after hanging all of he work at the coffee shop and seeing the reactions and smiles it brought to people, it was the best feeling in the world. I would order coffee and sit at a table pretending to be reading a book or working on something, while listening to the reactions of the customers coming in through the door. Almost every person made some kind of comment, some good, some bad, but having people connect to it in any shape or form made me feel like I had moved them in some way. I gained confidence in myself and my art during that first public showing, and grew some thick skin that has enabled me to keep going. Today, I am in 4 different galleries and do about 20 art festivals throughout the United States every year. I am so grateful to everyone who has supported my work and enabled me to continue doing what I love!

What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
Like many, I have had some wounds in my life and have worked hard with God’s healing love to heal them. I was labeled a “troubled teen” growing up and was sent away to a residential home my sophomore year of high school. Due to depression and a tumultuous family life at home, I felt like nobody understood me and I could not find my purpose in life. I was always hurting deep in my heart and felt like there was no way out. Seeing the joy that my art would bring to people when I would paint or draw them something, made me feel better. Art became my therapy and I continued to create whenever I would want to disappear from the world. My art was much darker then and I believe it was a way to express what was going on inside of me and get it out and onto the canvas. I could release whatever it was from my mind into a physical form and that would create a form of closure with that thought or issue. As I grew in my faith, I began to see God as the ultimate artist, showing the amount of love he has for each of us. With over 73,000 species of trees, over 1.2 species of animals, and over 400,000 species of flowering plants in the world, his creativity is never ending. He could have just made one of each, but instead blessed the world with so much beauty for us to enjoy. I feel like sometimes people don’t take the time in today’s world to stop and look past themselves to take it all in. Many seem to be stuck in their daily bubbles of paying bills and making money that they miss out on some of the joys of life. I hope my art can reflect some of that beauty and make people pause and stop for just a moment, to realize what a beautiful life we have been given.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Is the public version of you the real you?
The public version is the real version of me, but usually minus the flashy western dresses and cowboy boots. I can usually be seen in my paint covered sweatpants that Ive worn to paint in for over 15 years (they have gotten super heavy with caked on paint by now!) and a t shirt. I love to dress up at my art shows and public events to try to match my artwork and dress the part. My husband always says “Look good, feel good, do good”, and I believe there is truth in that.

Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What do you understand deeply that most people don’t?
I understand that life on earth is temporary and holding onto fear of any kind is pointless and keeps us from growth. We will not be here forever and so choosing to do what I love with the time that I have here, has been a huge blessing for me. For many years I was terrified to quit my full-time job to just focus on my art career and time continued to slip away without any solid plans to make a change due to the fear of the unknown. When COVID happened and my day job was not deemed “essential” anymore, it forced me to do what I had always dreamed of. I dove head first into the art world, signing up for every art festival possible, entering every juried show, gallery show, etc. Whatever was available to get my work in front of people I was there ready to go, set up with my art booth. I understand that God has a bigger plan for my life and that He is in control. Having that outlook takes the pressure off trying to do everything myself. We were not designed to carry such a heavy burden and I wish more people knew this for their own lives and could put it into practice. Faith is a beautiful thing.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.elizabethdrydenart.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethdrydenfineart/?hl=en
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-dryden-3707b113/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/edrydenpaintings/
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@elizabethdrydenart