“You’ve got talent. You should do something with that. Show the world what you can do.” That’s what Grace Ann Piano’s boyfriend told her when he saw her artwork, and Piano took it to heart, starting Murals by Grace Ann five years ago. Now her murals adorn bars and restaurants, coffee shops and schools, hotels, homes and children’s rooms. “My style and composition are adaptable for the individual art lover. I have great scalability to my artwork. Also, I work very fast, which keeps the prices affordable,” says Piano, whose creations have been featured in Décor and Style, San Diego Home, and the Humane Society’s Animal Fare.

Piano has also built the Gay & Lesbian Times’ Pride float two years running, which this year won Best Business Float 2007.

Community involvement is a priority for Piano, who regularly donates her time and talents. “This year, I donated my time to paint a mural for one of the Humane Society pet rooms…and also painted starry, jeweled constellation-themed dog houses for the Fur Ball,” she says. Another of her community contributions, a mural donation to a local church, was so well received, she says, that the congregation voluntarily contributed to compensate her.

Piano is a member of the University Heights Art Association and donates her time to teaching art in and around the area, along with teaching at the Art Institute of California – San Diego.

When she isn’t painting or teaching art, Piano practices yoga and has been an instructor for five years. Her studio, Yoga by Grace, is outdoors under a Moroccan canopy, next to a Zen water fountain. It “creates a peaceful and serene environment to rid your daily life of stress and align and balance yourself with nature,” Piano, who describes her style as “Astanga, Vinyasa Flow, Iyengar, all with an Anusara base,” says.