Mackenzie Thorpe
Mackenzie Thorpe's vocation as an artist would seem to be a million miles from his upbringing in industrial England in the 1950s.
Yet the seemingly endless struggle for light and meaning in his life brought about by the bleak surroundings of his youth has manifested itself in some extraordinary work which chronicles the full range of human emotions.
While some artists often try to hide their less than idyllic past, Thorpe embraces it as part of who he is and acknowledges the role his early tribulations played in shaping his future.
Thorpe was born in Middlesbrough in 1956 and suffered the same problems as the rest of his community.
Yet his troubles were exacerbated by his dyslexia at a time when the condition was not understood.
Like most children of the era who had dyslexia, Thorpe was confused and angry by his inability to write coherent sentences but found that his condition had no impact whatsoever on his ability to draw.
In fact, it possibly improved it as young Mackenzie found solace in art and used any materials he could find to create childhood masterpieces.
Yet despite his phenomenal ability to draw and paint, he still left school without proper qualifications due to his dyslexia and was forced to take on a host of unskilled manual labor jobs to make ends meet.
Yet Thorpe's amazing will and desire to succeed in life meant that he could not curb the artist in him.
He found the courage to apply to the Middlesbrough College of Art and this was followed by acceptance to the Byam Shaw School of Art in London.
Following his art education, Thorpe worked with children in London's inner city before setting up his gallery in Richmond, North Yorkshire in 1989 which he calls 'Arthaus.
" The majority of Mackenzie Thorpe's work chronicles his childhood in Middlesbrough.
His creations are notable for their focus on a seemingly dark aspect of life and its many struggles yet each work always has a small ray of light right in the middle of the struggle.
Thorpe remembers the hardship of his life but also experienced the caring nature of an entire community who joined together in order to make life better for one another.
Thorpe's philosophy on life revolves around his belief that even the bleakest circumstances can be triumphed over as long as there is kindness and love in the hearts of those around you.
This is apparent in his work, especially his sculpture which depicts a pure red heart inside a barbed wire one.
For Thorpe, we are only trapped within our circumstances if we lack the heart and desire to pull ourselves out of them.
Yet the seemingly endless struggle for light and meaning in his life brought about by the bleak surroundings of his youth has manifested itself in some extraordinary work which chronicles the full range of human emotions.
While some artists often try to hide their less than idyllic past, Thorpe embraces it as part of who he is and acknowledges the role his early tribulations played in shaping his future.
Thorpe was born in Middlesbrough in 1956 and suffered the same problems as the rest of his community.
Yet his troubles were exacerbated by his dyslexia at a time when the condition was not understood.
Like most children of the era who had dyslexia, Thorpe was confused and angry by his inability to write coherent sentences but found that his condition had no impact whatsoever on his ability to draw.
In fact, it possibly improved it as young Mackenzie found solace in art and used any materials he could find to create childhood masterpieces.
Yet despite his phenomenal ability to draw and paint, he still left school without proper qualifications due to his dyslexia and was forced to take on a host of unskilled manual labor jobs to make ends meet.
Yet Thorpe's amazing will and desire to succeed in life meant that he could not curb the artist in him.
He found the courage to apply to the Middlesbrough College of Art and this was followed by acceptance to the Byam Shaw School of Art in London.
Following his art education, Thorpe worked with children in London's inner city before setting up his gallery in Richmond, North Yorkshire in 1989 which he calls 'Arthaus.
" The majority of Mackenzie Thorpe's work chronicles his childhood in Middlesbrough.
His creations are notable for their focus on a seemingly dark aspect of life and its many struggles yet each work always has a small ray of light right in the middle of the struggle.
Thorpe remembers the hardship of his life but also experienced the caring nature of an entire community who joined together in order to make life better for one another.
Thorpe's philosophy on life revolves around his belief that even the bleakest circumstances can be triumphed over as long as there is kindness and love in the hearts of those around you.
This is apparent in his work, especially his sculpture which depicts a pure red heart inside a barbed wire one.
For Thorpe, we are only trapped within our circumstances if we lack the heart and desire to pull ourselves out of them.
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