Tiffany Jorgensen’s vibrancy and love for life radiate through her paintings – detailed and exquisite murals of horses, landscapes, people and more. Perhaps the most clever aspect of her work is the “easter eggs” she paints throughout them. Upon first glance, you’ll see a pristine lake surrounded by trees and mountains. At second glance, you’ll notice the subtle silhouette of a wolf amongst twisted branches or the face of a bear painted into the cascading mountain.
Some of her paintings are commissioned pieces of pets or loved ones who have passed. She’s humbled that people trust her with some of the most important parts of their lives.
“I’m really lucky to be in the art part of the community where I make connections and meet really amazing people in all walks of life.”
If you’re familiar with Williams Lake, you’ve most likely seen her paintings, too. She’s painted many murals around town, including some at the theatre, the rec centre and some of the local schools, like Mountview and Marie Sharpe Elementary. While some of the murals she has completed alone, others have been painted with the help of Sarah Sigurdson, Brittany Murphy, Mandee Beaulieu and Jazmyn Lyons.
In 2019, she was also the winner of the Williams Lake Stampede poster contest which was a painting based on a photograph of stampede veteran Virgil Poffenroth leaping off his horse to rope a calf.
Jorgensen grew up just outside of White Rock with a large, close-knit family. As a kid, she spent many hours drawing and recalls spending a summer painting with her aunt in Prince George who, at the time, had a farm. This was Jorgensen’s dream, too – to have her own farm for her horses while working as an artist for a living.
Now, she says, she’s living her dream. In 2006 she bought a farm just outside of Williams Lake. It’s here where she’s raising her three daughters, ages 13, 11 and 10. Together they have one mini-horse (Ratchet), two mares (Tessa and Rosie), one stallion (Pete), three dogs (Jasper, Otto and Cyprus), three cats (Jack Frost, Tommy and Ruby), no mice (thanks to Jack Frost, Tommy and Ruby) and one bunny (Flippin-Roni). There have been others animals along the way, too.
A glass-half-full person, she hasn’t let the hard bits of life get her down. From standing alongside her middle daughter, who courageously beat cancer as a young child, to breaking seven vertebrae this past summer after one of her horses bucked her off, Jorgensen remains positive. Without skipping a beat she described her injury as more annoying than anything and attributed much of her healing to her daughters, who helped prep their farm for the winter. She says they’re “strong, brilliant, little ladies.”
While her farm and painting commissions keep her busy, so does her business Cariboo ART BEAT, which she runs with two artist friends, Sarah Sigurdson and Brittany Murphy. They offer workshops and commissions while also encouraging people to find their own “art beat.” She especially loves working with children and youth and witnessing them as they open up and trust themselves through their own artwork.
Despite her busy life as a mother, equestrian, artist and business owner, she’s been trying to live in the moment these days. While her work is important to her, so is her family, including her parents and siblings. She said she wants to always “uphold and honour [those] relationships.”
To get in touch with Jorgensen, you can find her on Facebook at Tiffany Jorgensen Custom Art or Cariboo ART BEAT, as well as on Instagram at Tiffany Jorgensen Artwork.
READ MORE: Williams Lake’s Station House Gallery hosts group art show until Feb. 26
Do you have a comment about this story? email:
editor@wltribune.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.