About the Artist – Tiffany Snowden

As a professional archaeologist, I have always loved old things. Since childhood, my eyes have been glued to the ground looking for ‘treasures’ to pick up including everything from nice-looking stones to beautifully coloured sea glass, shells, broken pottery sherds, etc. Formerly a Londoner, the Thames foreshore was an excellent place to ‘hunt’ and I quickly amassed a sizeable collection.

Now residing in Nidderdale, even when I’m not on the job, I still can’t help looking for an errant piece of pot in compost or interesting shells by the Yorkshire coast. Even the pieces I acquire through work have been ‘rescued’, as they would otherwise be binned. Eventually, my collection grew so large, I wanted to do something with these fascinating pieces of history. Each individual artefact has survived too long and their story is just too good to end in a box in my attic.

So, as part of handcrafted pictures all from my collection, their story can live on as ‘archaeology in art’ – an ancient form of upcycling, as it were. From Roman and medieval pottery to post-medieval clay pipes and animal bone, my work brings a piece of the past into the present – keeping it alive for many more generations to come.

About my Work

Since my materials come from the outdoors, I like to try and draw from nature for inspiration. I started with birds and bird houses, incorporating movement and flight into my designs. Over the last year, I’ve also become fond of making mosaic-style pictures, taking small pieces which on their own, mean nothing – but put together, can create something beautiful and altogether new. Living in Nidderdale provides endless inspiration for my animal-themed pictures, as do my own pets – two dogs, a cat, and 27 pet snakes!

When I first started creating art in summer 2019, I had no idea how rewarding combining my professional life with my passion could be. Collecting more artefacts and creating new pictures is a form of therapy for me and nothing beats that feeling when it all comes together perfectly.