Tiffany Zen

Hi, I am an Artist and Architectural Designer.

I create work that lives at the intersection of art, architecture, and human experience. Working across painting and gilded surfaces, I design luminous, materially driven pieces guided by color, natural wood grain, and the reflective power of metal leaf. I am especially interested in designing with you, shaping spaces, stories, and visual moments that feel personal, intentional, and deeply connected to the people who experience them.


  • Founder

    Architect by trade and artist by heart focusing on painting, ceramics and jewelry.

BIO

Tiffany Zen is a multidisciplinary artist and architectural designer whose work lives at the intersection of fine art, material craft, and the built environment. With a background in large scale architectural, experiential, and human centered wayfinding design, Zen approaches painting and object making with an architect’s sensitivity to structure, surface, and human experience.

Working fluidly across oil, oil pastel, watercolor, and acrylic, Zen selects materials in response to each concept rather than adhering to a single primary medium. Her studio practice is rooted in color theory, gilding, and the expressive potential of natural surfaces. Through layered color, texture, and metallic finishes, she creates richly built compositions that explore identity, memory, and the emotional resonance of adornment.

Zen frequently allows the natural wood grain of her panels to guide the movement of color across the background, allowing each surface to influence the final composition. Because no two wood substrates are identical, every work develops its own visual rhythm and becomes inherently one of a kind. This material sensitivity is informed by her work across major civic, cultural, and sports environments, where she has contributed to architectural wayfinding, experiential branding, and site wide storytelling systems.

In addition to working directly on wood, Zen produces gilded works on paper that are later framed or mounted onto wood substrates. On paper, the metal leaf achieves a distinctly luminous quality, catching and reflecting light in ways that shift as the viewer moves through space. This interplay between surface, light, and materiality is central to her practice.

Through Zen eARTh Studios, she continues to merge fine art, architecture, and design thinking into tactile, luminous works that invite connection and are designed to live meaningfully within the spaces people call home. Guided by her ethos of Artistry, Art, and Architecture, Zen creates pieces that honor material, light, and story while offering collectors and collaborators work that is both deeply personal and spatially transformative.

Curriculum Vitae CV

Organization

Kansas City Art Coalition Member 2026 - Profile Link

ArtsKC Member 2020-2026 - Profile Link

InterUrban ArtHouse Member - 2025-2026 - Profile Link

Exhibitions

Her Art / Their Art - InterUrban ArtHouse, Overland Park, KS (2026)

Gilded Adornment Collaboration - Silverstorm & Co., Scituate, MA (2025)

Cheryl Eve Acosta Ceramic Exhibition (Group) - Kansas City, MO (2021)

Live-Edge Table Exhibition - Kowen Gallery, Westminster, CO (2021)

Summer on Armour (Art Vendor) - Kansas City, MO (2021)

Strawberry Swing Farmers Market (Vendor & Ceramics) - Kansas City, MO (2021)

Public Art & Installations

Bike Wheel Kinetic Sculpture & Climbing Wall Installation - Hyatt Hotel, Denver, CO - Kevin Barry Art Advisory.

Residential Murals

• Minion Mural (gas tank) • Turtle and Ocean Mural (fence) • Octopus Mural (interior)

Commissions

• Skyscraper City Lights (Painting) • Kansas City Frank Lloyd Wright Home (Watercolor) • Redwood Desks (Sit/stand pair) • Redwood Living Room Set • Kill Beetle Pine Couch Console Table

Resume

Education

University of Missouri - Columbia - Bachelor’s degree in Architectural Studies 2009 - 2013

Interaction Design Foundation UI Design Bootcamp Certificate - 2022

Online Learning - Figma UI UX Design Essentials - 2022 BIM 360 Cloud - 2024

Work Experience

ZEN eARTh Studios 2020 - Current - Founder and Designer

Founded and operated an independent design studio producing custom artwork, installations, and digital content. Managed client relationships, project timelines, and online sales while maintaining a cohesive brand presence. Applied architectural thinking to spatial storytelling, material selection, and visual communication across multidisciplinary projects.

Populous 2022 - 2025 - Senior Wayfinding Architectural Designer, Associate

Led the integration of architecture, interiors, and environmental graphics across complex civic and sports environments. Developed human-centered wayfinding systems and produced coordinated documentation packages, including plans, elevations, and signage details, using Revit, AutoCAD, and Adobe Creative Suite.

Universal Stone 2015 - 2020 - Design Project Manager

Managed take-offs, quoting, and plan development for stone countertop projects from architectural drawings. Collaborated with construction and design teams on multifamily and hospitality projects in the Denver area and maintained the company website.

Simon Oswald Architecture 2012 - 2013 - Internship

Recognized for advanced Revit skills while supporting healthcare, commercial, and institutional projects. Produced BIM models, construction documents, and presentation graphics in a collaborative studio setting.