Burning Man Inspires Artist Tiffany Rafaelle To Produce First Show

Obsessed with drawing since she could hold pencils and crayons, talented independent artist Tiffany Rafaelle Roman finally breaks into the gallery scene with her first show.  For the opening of “Follow the Esplanade” which opened at the on Friday, Tiffany produced two canvas works for the show and a coloring book with a storyline based on individuals she met while at the Burning Man festival in Nevada's Black Rock Desert this year. 

The large canvas piece in the front gallery, entitled “Moths to Light, Burners to Flame,” is a depiction of the Temple of Transition, surrounded by burners as it goes up in flames to signify the end of the event.  True to its name, the large four foot square piece, strategically placed in the front window, grabbed people’s attention from the street and drew them in like moths to see the rest of the display.

Her other canvas piece is an experimental technique using ultraviolet reactive paints in the composition. In this way, her depiction of the Trojan Horse in flames, entitled Neon Illumination, has different aesthetic properties in white and black light.

As eye catching as the canvas work was, her contribution to the show that captivated the most imaginations was the coloring book.  “I wanted to express the magic of being there [Burning Man]…if your eyes were open at any time you were seeing something amazing,” says Roman.  The 20 pages of scenes, art cars, installations and people were all drawn from mental snapshots of interactions that left an impression on Roman.

Ultimately the Burning Man experience taught her, “if you create anything with any kind of message or feeling, it is art” and this taught her to be fearless when displaying her work in shows or for any kind of public view. 

Also in her artistic arsenal is a passion for designing extremely personalized tattoos.  She doesn’t like to create generic or novel tattoo designs but likes to spend a lot of time talking to her clients to create something that has a deeper meaning for the individual. These tattoos often including representations of loved ones. 

In the future Tiffany would like to get more involved in large mural projects. Her first mural was of a dragon painted on one of the walls of her bedroom, which also acts as her home studio. An even bigger future goal is to travel the world and illustrate depictions of every culture.

For now, Roman is trying to build up a portfolio of completed works so she can apply to an art school in the near future.

If you would like to see Tiffany’s work currently on display, visit the Pigeon Hole on 19 Union Street for the closing of Follow the Esplanade on Saturday, November 26, at 6 p.m.  Even if you made the opening, it is worth a revisit. There will be additional commentary presented next to the main pieces of the show. Think of it as “Follow the Esplanade: The Director’s Cut.