Imaginative realism - Tiffany Dae - RealismToday.com
Tiffany Dae, “By Sea,” oil on aluminum dibond, 15 x 22 in.

Meet Tiffany Dae, this week’s top Realism Today Ambassador! Dae is an imaginative realist painter born in Hawaii to migrant parents from Cuba and India.

Dae is an imaginative realist painter born in Hawaii to migrant parents from Cuba and India. Raised with a passion for culture and the environment, she has evolved masters’ classical oil painting techniques into otherworldly and imaginative works.

Dae studied classical painting techniques at the Georgetown Atelier in Seattle, WA. Since graduating she has been working diligently in her studio to bring forth postcards from another world.

By Sea (shown above)

The inspiration behind this piece has to do with trying to continue to create magic while there are sharks in the water. As things seem to be compounding and it becomes so hard to watch the news or talk with anyone about the state of the world without feeling hopeless, I think it’s more important than ever to try and see the magic that’s here. And if there is no magic, then I aspire to create some. As with many of my pieces, this is a love letter to myself. Sometimes I need the reminder more than anyone.

Tiffany Dae, “From Above,” oil on aluminum dibond, 14 x 20 in.
Tiffany Dae, “From Above,” oil on aluminum dibond, 14 x 20 in.

From Above

We live in a time that is so strange and beautiful, and also difficult and confusing. Whether you think he’s floating or sinking, you’re right. One step forward, two steps back. He is light and dark; he is at peace and afraid. Every moment is just right, and also completely wrong. “From Above” reflects the chaos and the beauty of our lives, whole and broken.

Tiffany Dae, “Stop Suppressing Your Magic,” oil on aluminum composite, 24 x 34 in.
Tiffany Dae, “Stop Suppressing Your Magic,” oil on aluminum composite, 24 x 34 in.

Stop Suppressing Your Magic

The story for this piece comes from my personal life. In the pursuit of being a proper adult, I’ve been spending a lot of my time worrying lately. Worrying about failure, about what other people think, and especially worrying if I am being “me” enough. In the time of the great worry I was completely shut off from my own magic, which is exactly what makes me, me in the first place. But my body knew how to reconnect me with my magic, in my dreams. I needed to cut it out and just paint the strange things I love, and never look back. This has been a great big note-to-self “stop suppressing your magic” moment.

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