Mackenzie Thorpe (born 1956 in

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the a ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

) is a British

artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only. However, th ...

. In 2019 he celebrated 30 years of artistic practice with a world tour, ''From the Heart,'' which included the UK in July; he was also appointed as the official artist to 2019 Tour de Yorkshire; was appointed as the 2019 "Welcome to Yorkshire, Official Chelsea Flower show artist”; and unveiled a new temporary public sculpture in his home town of Middlesbrough. His bronze sculpture called 'Waiting for me Dad' was placed next to the

Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge The Tees Transporter Bridge, also referred to as the Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge, is a bridge in northern England. It is the furthest downstream bridge across the River Tees and the longest remaining transporter in the world. The bridge is ...

. He considers it a tribute to the men and women who have made Middlesbrough great. Born as the first of seven children, Thorpe initially worked in the local shipyards. However, in 1977, following encouragement of a friend he successfully applied to study art at

Cleveland College of Art and Design The Northern School of Art is a further education, further and higher education Art school, art and design college, based in Middlesbrough and Hartlepool in the North East England, north-east of England. The college was called Cleveland Colle ...

, where he flourished under the tuition of Tom Wall, going on to study for a Fine Art BA at Byam Shaw College of Art in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

from which he graduated in 1982. In 1989 he decided to become a full-time artist, moving from London to

Richmond, North Yorkshire Richmond is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England, and the administrative centre of the district of Richmondshire. Historically in the North Riding of Yorkshire, it is from the county town of Northallerton and situated on t ...

, where he opened the Mackenzie Thorpe Arthaus gallery. In 2000 he was awarded an honorary degree of Master of Arts from Teesside University, followed by being was awarded an honorary professorship by

Seisa University is a private distance learning university with headquarters in Ashibetsu, Hokkaido, Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is ...

in Japan in 2019.. His works are associated with a principle of "Art from the heart" – combining tenderness with fervency through his abstract depictions of animals and children. His work is wide-ranging from the accessible 'square sheep' and duffle coat boys to more challenging work focusing on isolation and man's struggle. Much of his work depicts his childhood growing up in

. His auction record of £9,000, paid for his 91 cm square oil on canvas "The Family (Kiss)" was set at Tennant's auction house in

Leyburn Leyburn is a market town and civil parish in the district of Richmondshire, North Yorkshire, England, sitting above the northern bank of the River Ure in Wensleydale. Historically in the North Riding of Yorkshire, the name was derived from 'Ley ...

on 4 March 2009. He and his staff operate through a company, and in 2020 his original artworks were said to cost from £10,000. He and his wife, Susan, have been married since his twenties, and have children and grandchildren.

References

External links

Most Comprehensive Source for Thorpe originals, prints, and sculptures!** Non Profit Fine art Blog - Mackenzie ThorpeOfficial website with historyMackenzie Thorpe Artwork
- A complete list of all his available artwork

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thorpe, Mackenzie 1956 births Living people People from Middlesbrough Alumni of the Byam Shaw School of Art Alumni of Teesside University