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| Mackenzie
Thorpe is one of the most interesting and original artists at work in
Britain today. It is undoubtedly his vision of hope, which has moved
so many art lovers and critics world-wide. His lively works, with
their jewel-like colors and confident lines are almost impossible to categorize.
They are intensely serious, at the same time easily accessible. Full of humor and optimism, often almost painfully sad, intensely personal but with a universal message. Mackenzie was born in 1956, the eldest of seven children. His early years were spent in a small terraced house in the town center of Middlesbrough. Middlesbrough is an industrial town in the north of England and in the late 1950's early 1960's, much of the town center was in desperate need of regeneration. The civil and social amenities that Middlesbrough now enjoys did not exist for Mackenzie, and those early formative years were spent playing in and around the street and back alleys of terraced houses. Derelict bombed out houses provided an exciting background for Mackenzie and his Uncle Lawrence - three years older and a protective, guiding influence in Mackenzie's life. Mackenzie's father worked as a laborer and his mother an auxiliary nurse. Life for the Thorpe family was no different to that of most of their community - at times a struggle. Mackenzie acknowledges mixed emotions about this period of his life. He remembers the strong feeling of community spirit, the strength of individual characters, the warmth and humor that flourished in the face of adversity, in the most unlikely of settings. He has also not forgotten the loneliness and isolation, the fear and the darkness that was ever present, waiting it seemed in every shadow. The vivid reality of these barely faded memories are apparent in some of Mackenzie's works. The need and compulsion to draw was obvious from an early age, he would seek out and create with whatever raw materials he could find. So he would draw on cigarette packs with stubs of pencils, art materials being an unaffordable luxury. Mackenzie recalls his first experiments as blending color were make-up, eye shadow, lipstick and compact powder, illicitly obtained from his mum's make-up bag! Life for most people was about struggle and survival. Mackenzie's driving force was always to draw. He did not, could not, question this need. It is a need that remains with him today. Early influences were films and television programs. Saturday mornings at the local cinema were made possible by the combined ingenuity of friends in gaining free entry via a back exit door. Here Mackenzie was enthralled by the colorful images of other lives, of different places, of larger than life screen hero's. Mackenzie's ability to recreate on paper, Cowboys and Indians won him respect from his peers. Mackenzie has dyslexia, his early school years were difficult as the basic reading and writing skills, which appeared to come so effortlessly to his friends, were unattainable for Mackenzie. No matter how hard he tried, how much effort he put in, he could never seem to achieve the required basic standard. His teachers knew he was not without intelligence, he soaked information like a sponge. His dyslexia remained undiagnosed, however, his artistic skills were first recognized and utilized by some of his teachers. So when paintings and illustrations were needed to complete school projects, or to decorate the walls with large murals for festive celebrations, Mackenzie was removed from his classes and given the necessary paints to complete the job. Unsurprisingly Mackenzie left school without formal qualifications, he entered into a variety of manual, unskilled jobs but continued drawing and painting albeit with household emulsions on self made easels. He now knew about other artists, such as Van Gogh, Gaugin and Degas from films, 'Lust for Life' being a prime example. After three years earning money to supplement the family income, Mackenzie eventually plucked up courage to try and gain entry to the local Art College. His lack of educational certificates and a barely readable application form did nothing to warrant support for his application, but the strength and sheet volume of work that Mackenzie presented, coupled with his enthusiasm and obvious commitment to his art, won him a place at Middlesbrough College of Art and subsequently the Byam Shaw School of Art in London. Even at art school there were battles to be fought. 'I had no confidence at all when I started', says Mackenzie, 'if somebody had said I was blue I would have believed them. I put away all my gear in a bag with 'karate' written on the side, so that people would think I was a martial arts expert and leave me alone!' His artistic horizons were broadening all the time. 'Seeing the painting in the Tate for the first time changed my whole way of thinking. From then on I ate and drank modern art. Rothko, especially is one of my real heroes. I realized how important it was to put myself 'Mackenzie Thorpe', into my paintings'. Mackenzie works at breakneck pace, with apparently effortless ease, but his extensive skills are the result of many years of practical experience and deep reflection. 'Although I think on my feet, although what I do might look simple, it's a science and even when I'm drawing a giraffe with a bird on its head it's as if I draw a dead body'. Indeed, Mackenzie is one of those rare artists who are completely inseparable from their work. His restless energy, his passionate concern for humanity are as evident in his free-wheeling conversation as in his paintings and drawings. Whether he is depicting one of his notorious 'square sheep', a group of burly men hunched over their dominoes in a smoky pub or a fantasy Wild West shoot-out, his work speaks to you as decisively and compelling as if he had slapped you on the shoulder. There is no pretension, no aloofness, just the urge to explore and communicate a deeply felt emotion. Ultimately,
Mackenzie's message for life is a profound one. He doesn't hide the
fact that often life is a struggle, with fear and guilt, a dark
tunnel, which can seem endless. But he passionately believes that our
frail dreams are worth nurturing, that love and honesty will
eventually triumph over adversity. After several years working with inner-city children in London, Mackenzie now lives in Richmond, North Yorkshire, with his wife Susan and his children Owen and Chloe. It is typical of him that he chooses to work in a tiny shop, just off the Market Place, in full view of any passer-by. 'Everyone can see in, see what I do - there are no tricks! I'm just a normal bloke, doing my job like anybody else", he says.
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