She Magazine APRIL 2016 | Page 51

BEFORE THIS INTERVIEW, I HAD SEEN TIFFANY THOMAS around Downtown Florence. Something about her intrigued me; her style was different, and she walked with such confidence as she eased down the street. After viewing her beautiful work, I looked forward to getting to know the eclectic artist. She was everything I thought she would be – passionate, colorful, and charming. Her enthusiasm for life shined bright within her. But, Tiffany didn’t always have that confidence she exuded on those days when I’d see her walk past our office. There were many times when she was unsure as to where she fit into the world. “When I was in middle school, I was bullied for not being “black enough”, and when I transferred tiffany thomas to a private high school, I was bullied for being black. I had so many in- SHEMAGAZINE.COM securities when I started college. But, it was the awesome art faculty at Of course, throwing on the pottery wheel does take time and practice, but Francis Marion University and art itself that helped me gain confidence in the end result is so rewarding. The ceramics professor at FMU, Doug Gray, myself. I don’t regret being bullied; it has shaped me to be who I am and was so patient and kind. I constantly asked questions and experimented has transformed me to be sensitive to others. Turning negative energy and with glaze calculation and different types of clay. The art faculty at FMU experiences into something positive is a creative way to live.” was so wonderful.” Growing up on a farm with five siblings was quite interesting for Tiffany. The first ceramic piece she created was a pinch pot. “During my Of course, it was lots of fun, too! “We had chickens, pigs, dogs, an d cats. senior show, I created over one hundred small pinch pots and placed We would play outside all day, making mud pies and climbing trees. My them on the ground as an installation. I called them Sin Pots; each pot mother planted a huge garden in the spring that would tide us over for represented. the summer and fall.” It is these memories that impact her artwork today. Tiffany is inspired not only by life on the farm but also by her “Nature has always been a huge part of my art because we were so im- boyfriend, Symon Gibson. “He’s so fascinating. We are both artists, so mersed in it. For me, God constantly shows his love for us by providing our relationship is never boring! I painted different portraits of him the resources of the earth. It’s why I etch the mountains and trees on my on recycled wood; some happy, some sad.” She also places large and ceramic pieces and use scrap wood to create my portraits. My dad is a small pieces of wood on canvas to represent the weight of emotions. contractor. I used to screw wood pieces to a board for my paintings. The Currently, Tiffany is focusing her talents on abstract and nature. wood is from discarded pieces used at his job site or from around the farm.” “I love how strong and resilient trees are. I also love driving in the Once she began taking ceramic classes at FMU, Tiffany fell in love. “It’s mountains. Mountains have always fascinated me; their size is so over- so peaceful and relaxing. Clay is so wonderful. The texture and plasticity whelming. It makes me feel so small, but not in a negative way. I feel of clay is so interesting! I love the way it feels when I throw on the pot- God’s overwhelming love when I’m in their presence. It’s His artwork.” tery wheel. I also love how porcelain clay shows its translucency when A self-proclaimed “sucker” for art theory, Tiffany is currently partici- fired to a high temperature. I was immediately drawn to clay because I’ve pating in a color theory challenge on her Instagram page. “I’ve always been a dreamer my whole life. I wasn’t good at going to class or focusing loved painting abstracts, so I decided to try painting one a day. I post during lectures. I think just the process of creating pieces, glazing, and it to Instagram to hold myself accountable. Of course, I like some more firing can be so complex and fascinating that it’s hard to lose interest. than others. But, that’s the beauty of art.” CONTINUED... APRIL 2016 51