INTERVIEw with tiffany

Hanging on the wall of my living room is a picture with a difference. ‘Genesis’ was painted by Tiffany Buckley, a Christian artist and illustrator, who lives with her husband and three daughters on England’s south coast. It is packed full of Bible verses and fascinating details of God’s Creation, including many dinosaurs, behemoth and leviathan, an Ark of Biblical proportions and so on. I asked Tiffany about the inspiration behind her artwork and about her Christian faith.
Philip Bell

PB
Tiffany, you have this distinctive style where you take a word (or words) as the focus of the rest of the painting. How did you come to develop this?

TB
Since 1988, I have been taking a ‘Name’ and illustrating personal details on a commission basis for various kinds of greetings cards, mainly in England, but some for people of other nationalities. Most of these commissions have come about through ‘word of mouth’ or samples displayed in shops and at exhibitions. In 1991, I felt impressed to do a large picture around the words ‘Lord Jesus Christ’, illustrating Jesus’ life in the Gospels, including His parables and ministry. The painting of ‘Genesis’ followed on from that shortly afterwards, after a Christian Booksellers conference where my husband and I came across a ‘Creation Stand’. Tim had been asking where the dinosaurs fitted into Creation and as we were excitedly discussing this over a cup of coffee, we felt God impress on us to do a painting of Genesis 1-11.

PB
I gather that you used resources from AiG to help you in this project.

TB
Yes, with the help of Answers in Genesis and other creation materials, we were able to build a strong foundation of a literal six day Creation and a young Earth and how this complimented the integrity of God’s Word. After three or four months of research, I started to draw the work that you see completed today, starting with roughs on a smaller scale.

PB
It’s certainly an information-packed painting! I like the way that I can look at it again and again and still discover new details—animals, Bible verses and so on—that I hadn’t noticed before.

TB
Well, that was the idea. I went to the library to find pictures of different dinosaurs and other animals, then planned the picture out in pencil first, unweaving the story of Creation, Noah’s Ark and Babel in between the letters, before inking in and painting the whole thing in watercolours.

PB
Now, I know that you see this is more than simply an interesting picture—you have a vision for the painting?

TB
We have always seen ‘Genesis’ as a wonderful way to witness in Christian homes. It’s large enough to catch people’s attention, but detailed enough to draw people in and study what God said at the Beginning. We feel that Christian homes should display God’s Word visually, in prominent places, such as the hallway, sitting room, kitchen etc.—rooms where people can meditate on what God has done and then take away with them the visual memory of God’s world and His Creation. In fact, when it was first printed in 1993, it was distributed through a dental supplier who sold many to surgeries in England to go above dentist chairs! We have been so blessed by the positive responses of many people. Some have walked up to me in the street telling me how their copy has been such a good talking point. It has encouraged other people who have seen it in hospitals or schools.

PB
So you see your painting as a sort of faith-builder?

TB
Yes, I see it as an answer to many peoples’ doubts about the truth of God’s Word in the Bible. In the same way, we have had the Creation magazine since 1991 and it has done a lot for us as a family, in the way that it has answered questions and strengthened our faith more in Jesus. It is good to see what God has done!

PB
It certainly is. Tell me about your own Christian faith as I’m sure that would be a blessing to the readers of Creation.

TB
I was actually brought up as a believer but I didn’t really see the significance of Genesis until I became born again in South Africa in 1988. I met my husband Tim soon after returning to England and we have always enjoyed animals and nature, and those early years helped us appreciate God’s World—“The Earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof.” Many people say they love the details in my paintings and that is how our walk with God should be—something new every day. He is the God of detail, colour, variety, inspiration, and most of all, his tremendous love towards mankind and His Creation. I believe that the visual ‘Genesis’ can encourage faith in the God who doesn’t change. “He is the same yesterday, today and forever.” Evolution therefore cannot be. He is true to His Word.

PB
Thank you Tiffany, very much.

Interview conducted by Philip Bell
Speaker, AiG (UK/Europe)