Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiffany Reid.
Hi Tiffany, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for sharing your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
I was born and raised in beautiful British Columbia. I was fortunate to grow up in a wonderful home with a supportive family, so my art is uplifting and colorful. It radiates from my happiest place. My art career began with my husband and daughter, who encouraged me to pursue painting. It is their story I would like to share with you which led me on this journey. My husband and I fell in love under incredible circumstances. He had lost his wife to a tragic battle with breast cancer at the young age of 33, leaving behind a beautiful little girl. Lyla was only 2 years old when we first met, and naturally, my heart broke into a million pieces. They both captured my heart initially, but it took a lot of work. It was a decided choice to pursue happiness. It would have been easy to fall into that pit of despair, but Corey was resilient and determined. We fell in love after friends convinced us we were meant to be. After many cocktails and a terrible Elvis impersonator show, we were smitten. That was the easy part. There were still many mixed feelings of grief and guilt. One of the biggest hurdles I had to overcome was being an instant mom to a 4-year-old. Parents, you know what I am talking about. Tantrums, sleepless nights, nightmares, picky eating it all hit me like a ton of bricks. And nurturing did not come to me organically. What did I sign up for? But Lyla could melt your heart with her sweet “I love you”s and morning snuggles. Despite everything they had been through, their love was bigger than their grief, and through love and patience, we became a family.
Lyla and I grew incredibly close through art. She taught me that art has no limits. She was wildly creative and free-spirited. While I was teaching her to grow up, she taught me to be a child again. That is when my art flourished. We created our special relationship by sharing wild ideas, storytelling, snuggles, laughter, and painting. My art is often inspired by connecting to the inner child and enjoying the simpler things that bring us daily happiness and fulfillment. Who said art had to be dark and moody?
Corey gave me the courage and confidence to dream big. He encouraged me to take significant steps in my art career, pushing me to take courses, enter contests, and apply to galleries. Because of their love and courage, I could step into my own and sell my work across North America. Corey and I got married in 2017, and I adopted Lyla immediately. It was not how I thought I would become a mother, but I wouldn’t change anything. I am so ridiculously proud to be a momma and artist. I am so in love with these two unique human beings, and they have inspired me to be the ultimate expression of myself through art. It has been a wild adventure, and I can’t wait to see what comes next. Welcome to the deepest part of my soul.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The thing I struggle with the most is talking about myself. I was always taught to be humble, wait my turn, and not show off, but in art, you have to be your advocate. You have to be comfortable and confident talking about your work. You have to be in love with it and let everyone know how you feel because no one will believe in you if you don’t start with yourself. You can’t hold back. So, to this day, I am still working on relishing in my accomplishments and boasting about my work so that the word gets out. No one will know my talents exist if I don’t share them with the world. As Dolly Parton says, “Dreams don’t just fall into your lap; you have to chase them.”
Thanks for sharing that. You could tell us more about your work.
I am a Canadian contemporary abstract artist. Being from the Pacific Northwest and experiencing the dramatic weather in the area, such as cold winters and sensational storms, my work is heavily inspired by the currents of the ocean that serve to guide the weather, as well as the gravity of nature that one feels so strongly. As such, my paintings contain a compelling evocation of the delicate balance of chaos and order, as found in weather and earth systems. I also emphasize the natural connection between the heart of man and the forces of nature.
Using unique and non-traditional techniques involving various media such as isopropyl, textured pastes, resin, and recycled materials, I can create luscious paintings filled with bright organic bubbles of colors as well as sensuous textured surfaces that recall both the rugged power and fragile beauty of the natural world simultaneously. I seek to create an emotional and sensory journey for the viewer, allowing them to be transported to an unimaginable place where they can lose themselves.
I am a Federation of Canadian Artists member dedicated to raising artistic standards by stimulating participants to greater heights of knowledge and achievement by offering what is believed to be Canada’s first artists’ sponsored gallery. Currently, the Federation is the only national-level visual arts organization that manages its full-time art gallery. I have been featured in ArtFix Daily, SD Voyager Magazine, the Agora Gallery (New York), and, of course, the Federation of Canadian Artists. I am the artist at the Hilton Hotel in Metrotown and Richmond.
So, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you before we go? How can they support you?
Word of mouth is a tremendous support. Tell your friends, write about me, feature me in your magazine or newspaper, follow me on social media, or visit my website.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.tiffanyreidart.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tiffanyreidart/
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/pages/category/Artist/tiffanyreidart/
- Linkedin: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/tiffany-reid-5839121bb
Image Credits
Felicia Chang Photography
