He received his BFA, with honors, from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2011. Recently he won Best Solo Exhibition at the Omaha Entertainment and Arts Awards for his 2014 show Pleated Field at the Wanda D. Ewing Gallery. Several pieces from the exhibition were featured in issue #120 of the publication New American Paintings. Notable group exhibitions include Prospect at Gallery 72 in Omaha, The Fascinators: The Inaugural Charlotte Street Biennial of Regional BA/BFA/MA/MFA Candidates at La Esquina in Kansas City, Missouri, and 2011 Bemis Center Regional Exhibition at Bemis Underground in Omaha, Nebraska. Griess lives and works in Omaha.