When Tiffany Anna completed a foundation degree in art, she wasn’t sure which direction she wanted to take in the adult world.
Having stepped away from university study, she returned home to Guernsey – following a hiatus working on an Italian farm – and took up photography where her creative passions were reborn, and which eventually led to a full-circle journey to a career as a full-time artist.
Ahead of her first solo exhibition in Jersey next month and since amassing a large social media following, Tiffany spoke to Express about how she came to fall back in love with art and where her unique style of combining nature with urban street painting comes from…
Tell us about your artistic journey…
After leaving school, I completed my Art Foundation Degree at The Arts University Bournemouth, however, I then wasn’t sure on which direction I wanted to pursue so I decided not to return to university and instead spent some time working with horses on a farm in Italy as a trekking guide.
After what ended up to be several years in Italy, I returned to Guernsey and took up photography, which was something I had always been passionate about. I became a full time photographer but when the pandemic reached our shores, I found myself unable to work and so I took up painting during lockdown to pass the time.
I fell in love with painting, sold my first piece via Facebook and have been lucky enough to be able to then go on to pursue art as a full-time career.
What drew you to contemporary art?
I was inspired by my mum, Susie, who has painted her whole life and is a wonderful artist. I’m drawn to artwork that leaves you with a positive feeling and so this is what I aspire to achieve through my artwork.
Why do you choose to combine nature with urban street art in your work?
Nature has always been a passion of mine, I absolutely love spending time outdoors and am obsessed with animals, dogs and sea creatures in particular.
I chose a bee for the subject of my first painting as I’m fascinated by them, and also thought they would be relatively straightforward to paint. My love of painting animals then stemmed from there.
Street art and graffiti has also always been something I’ve been interested in. I’m by no means a street artist, but I love taking inspiration from it and experimenting with elements of it in my art.
I like adding elements to my paintings that are unexpected, so my paintings aren’t typical wildlife art, they’re bright and colourful with gold and gemstone embellishments, spraypaint, graffiti or splats.
How has social media aided your career?
Social media has been pivotal in my career as an artist. It’s allowed me to reach an audience all over the world and showcase my work as an independent artist.
It’s also enabled me to build the most wonderful community of artists and collectors who I love interacting with everyday.
What’s your artistic process and purpose?
My approach to art is pretty straightforward: it doesn’t need to be serious – it just needs to make you smile. If my work brings a bit of happiness or gives you a quick dopamine hit, then I’ve done my job.
I also make tutorials, because I want to encourage people to pick up a paintbrush again, even if it’s been years. Art is therapy for me, which I am super lucky to be able to do every day, and I genuinely think more people could benefit from that.
Life’s hectic, and creative outlets like this are something we don’t get enough of.
Are you looking forward to your first solo exhibition in Jersey?
I’m so excited for my first solo exhibition in Jersey. I can’t wait to bring some bold, happy vibes to the island and hear what people think of my latest work.
I really feel like the artwork will connect with the Jersey public, especially since quite a few of the pieces are ocean-inspired, and I’ve even painted a Jersey cow especially for the exhibition.
Tiffany’s exhibition opens from Friday 3 to Saturday 7 June at JARO gallery in St Helier, and is being sponsored by JT.
Islanders can get a sneak peek of her work and hear from the artist at a preview evening at the venue from 17:00-19:00 on Friday 2 May.