Poetry. Fiction. Painting. Drawing. Photography.
I haven’t been around much this summer – there’s something about this season that really encourages me to stay busy and I rarely stop to reflect or blog. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t been writing. In fact, I’m pleased to announce that my second book should be out by the end of the year! It’s a work of romantic suspense, which is a big departure for me, but I’m really proud of it and can’t wait to share! In the meantime, enjoy my latest painting…
Thanks for reading!
XO – Tiffany
It’s Christmas Eve! Right now, it seems like Cincinnati will be having a mild, kind of warmish Christmas which is just fine with me. I can’t believe this is the second Christmas we’re celebrating during a global pandemic, but hopefully that helps us all feel just even more grateful for our family and friends.
I was looking through my recent paintings and this one felt a bit Christmas-y to me with the red and green like light coming through a stain glass church window. Anyway, I thought I’d share it since it’s a tad festive.
May you have a wonderful Christmas filled with all the people you love and the warmest of memories!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
-Tiffany
I have not done a great job at blogging in 2021. It’s honestly always been a struggle. I thrive more behind the scenes, writing and creating in private. But I still want to update occasionally so that I can stay accountable and build connections with other writers and artists.
Below is an abstract sunset landscape that I recently painted. Painting is a passion of mine, but even though I’ve sold some work and was featured in a gallery last year, it’s also something I’m deeply insecure about. I know art is subjective, and I know that it’s something I love to do, but it’s also something I long to keep hidden from the world out of fear of rejection. So, posting this and the other paintings on my website cause me anxiety, but it feels important to continue trying to share. I’m also excited about participating in another Inktober on Instagram in October, so I’ve been practicing more ink sketches.
This year has been more about poetry than prose. I’ve felt very inspired by nature and have spent a lot of time hiking and reflecting, and these themes have factored into my painting and poetry a lot. While I’m still working on novel #2, a poetry collection may be debuting sooner rather than later. And speaking of poetry, Ephemeral Elegies is still going strong with over 33,000 views in under 2 years. I’ve loved connecting with other poets and providing a platform for new and emerging voices. We’re always looking for new submissions too!
One of the main reasons I’ve been reflecting a lot this year is because I’m turning 30 at the end of this month! This has been an interesting decade filled with lots of highs and lows. I’ve learned and grown; loved and lost; created and reinvented. It was a time of change, and now I’m entering this next chapter of life ready to see what’s going to happen next. But before I get there, I did set a goal for myself of doing something I never thought I’d be able to do: run a half-marathon. I’ve been doing some charity 10Ks to prepare and I’m so ready for my birthday race to benefit Autism Speaks.
I wish I had more exciting things to share, but even small victories during a global pandemic feel more meaningful right now, so hopefully this post wasn’t too boring. Thanks for reading, and feel free to share what you’ve been up to this year in the comments section!
-Tiffany
I don’t know about you, but when I think back a few months to March, I’m pained at the memory of naively thinking everyone would have to just quarantine for 2 weeks and then the world would go back to normal. Now, here we are, 5 months later, and everything is still crazy. Though some businesses and workplaces are slowly opening back up, everyone seems to still be on edge. It seems like almost everyone is scared or angry or a fun combination of both, which honestly makes me want to dig in and keep quarantining until it’s all over.
Yesterday, I thought I’d play around with paint again as a way to help me process what I’m feeling. I expected the result to be a variety of grey shades mixed with blotches of darkness, which is pretty typical for me. But for some reason, I kept grabbing more and more color. I realized that while my emotions are a bit chaotic and are overlapping in strange ways, this is still an exciting new season for me. I’ve been letting go of things and people that no longer fit in my life, and in some ways, the pandemic has been a bit cleansing. It’s allowed me to spend a lot of alone time with myself where I’ve been learning who I am without worrying about the performance version of me that the world has been seeing. I am so ready for the pandemic to be over so that I can start to emerge more authentically, and I wanted to share yesterday’s painting since it reminded me of this future.
The first month of 2020 seemed to last forever. Cincinnati has had a very mild winter so far, which I greatly appreciate, but there’s something about not seeing the sun that really makes the days seem to all blend together. Still, January (and the beginning of February) have produced some exciting things already!
Two poems have been released already in February:
“The Vanishing Act” is now available in the February Aurora Issue of Down in the Dirt Magazine. This issue can be viewed digitally or a physical copy can be purchased as well.
“Dancing in the Dark” is now available from Writing in a Woman’s Voice as well.
And my first painting is soon to appear on The Ampersand Project‘s website! (More details coming soon).
Lastly, Ephemeral Elegies has celebrated its first official month! In January, we published 9 poems by some amazing people. I’ve been overwhelmed by the amount of positive feedback and volume of submissions. It’s looking like 2020 is going to be a very good year!
Thanks for reading!
– Tiffany
It’s been a new decade for a whole week now, and this has already been a great one! I’m trying to embrace the things that make me happy, even if they’re not things that other people support or understand. For me, that’s coming in two forms: Painting and Poetry.
I’ve always loved painting, but it’s a point of insecurity for me. I like abstracts, and I know that these are not super popular kinds of paintings. Still, I’m getting too old to avoid things I love just because they’re unpopular. So, I’ve set up a small gallery here as well as on ArtPal.
Regarding poetry, I’ve already been hugely encouraged by the volume of poets who want to join in the experience of Ephemeral Elegies (still open to submissions!) There are so many amazing poets who want to share, and it makes me want to share too. I’m feeling really confident that this is going to be a creatively productive year. This is the year that I’m going to take myself seriously as a writer and artist. I’m going to take risks and really work on removing the plague of self-doubt.
Thanks for reading and coming on this journey with me.
XO – Tiffany
I love going to art galleries and museums, but sometimes I do feel truly baffled by some contemporary art. However, when my best friend found this book and suggested I give it a read, I found that it started to make a bit more sense. I think art lovers and those still on the fence will both enjoy The $12 Million Stuffed Shark: The Curious Economics of Contemporary Art by Don Thompson.
There was something really mesmerizing about this book. I think it was just fascinating to learn more about the business side of art which deals with people who are able to spend more on a piece of art than I will probably earn in my entire life. The book deals a lot with the difference of cost and worth and shows how marketing and jealousy can really work to a an artist’s advantage when selling art.
I can’t say that I will enjoy contemporary art more after reading this book, but I do have more of an understanding and appreciation for it on the whole.
Title: The Art Forger
Author: Barbara A. Shapiro
Quick Takeaway: I read this for a book club that I lead for the library. While it did meander at times, I enjoyed it overall and we were able to have a great discussion for our book club.
Who Should Read This? This is a great read for art lovers and those looking for a mystery that focuses more on character than plot.
Review: While this is a mystery, it is not very traditional. I absolutely love mysteries, but I was much less interested in the mystery aspects of this book than I was the central characters. The main character Claire, a professional art forger whose career is legally forging famous art for commercial purposes, is commissioned to forge a famous stolen painting. The circumstances under which she is asked to perform this task are suspect, but she finds herself falling for the enigmatic art dealer Aiden Markel who may not be as he seems.
I really enjoyed the character of Claire. She was sympathetic and she was really put through a lot of relatable tragedies. She is a very talented artist, but she has a terrible reputation in the art world, and she struggles to overcome the decisions she’s made.
I also really enjoyed learning more about the process of painting, especially the process of forgery. I’ve dabbled in abstract painting but only as a hobby, so I felt like this was a really interesting learning experience about the world of art, especially classic art.
Final Thoughts: I don’t think this book will appeal to everyone. If someone loves a good traditional mystery and has little interest in learning about the creation of art, this may be a bit of a letdown. However, if you’re more interested in character and you’re fascinated by art, go ahead and give this one a try!
Tiffany Renee Harmon 