Animals
Various personalities in each of us. Mackenzie chooses to paint
people in his life as animals to allow himself the freedom to depict them in
many different ways. He can paint multiple portraits of one person, and by
using different animals each time he is showing the different sides of that
person.
Animals (square)
Tribute to Mark Rothko. Mackenzie connected with Rothko's bold use of
color and simple shapes to make a statement
Bees
1. Life's Dangers. Mackenzie is deathly allergic to bee
stings, but chooses to depict bees in his work to highlight the sweetness they
provide. We must always be aware of what is around us - even in danger there is
beauty.
2. Sound. Mackenzie wants you to hear the sound of the buzzzzz - usually
depicted by just one bee.
Children with Large Heads
Innocence. When children are born they have large heads filled with
imagination, purity, love, innocence, and happiness. It is only when adults
enter their lives that their heads become smaller with each limitation, fear,
prejudice, or stereotype.
Children with Wagons
Spreading Love. Mackenzie finds a lot of inspiration from his two
children, Owen and Chloe. It is Mackenzie's belief that children are the source
of love in life. When children go to sleep they go to 'the land of love' where
they pick flowers, put them into wagons, and bring them back to the adults in
the daytime. Each time a child touches or talks to an adult they are giving
them a flower from 'the land of love'.
Cliffs
Transition. Cliffs represent the need for transition in life to
something uncertain. What will be on the other side? Will it be worth the
journey we have forged so far?
Cloudy Skies
Life. The rolling clouds reflect the difficulties and good times in
life and the importance of experiencing both.
Fish In A Glass Jar
The Soul. The fragility of one's soul is likened to a fish in a glass
jar for Mackenzie. You must carry it with you at all times, vulnerable and
accessible to the perils of the world.
Flowers
Love. Flowers symbolize growing love. When you nurture relationships
in life you are able to benefit from the beauty they provide from the ground
up.
Large Feet
Working Class Upbringing. Mackenzie grew up in a northern English
shipbuilding town where everyone had working class roots. Mackenzie doesn't
ever want to lose those roots. Or, as he says, 'become bigger than my shoes'.
Match-Stick Men
Life's Adversary. A working class person, or laborer, depends on his
arms and hands for his livelihood. But, when factories shut down and leave
these men without work, it's as if their arms and hands are rendered useless.
They face the largest challenge of their life: adapt to the situation or be
left behind, just another match-stick man.
Shepherd
Parents. Their responsibility is to care for the flock and guide them
through life's ups and downs.
Sunflowers
Tribute to Vincent Van Gogh. Mackenzie connected with Van Gogh's lust
for life and realized it was alright to be different.
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Mackenzie Thorpe (1956- ) strives to express the full range of human emotion through his art, whether through his trademark brightly colored pastels or his new bronze sculptures. His imaginative imagery - from smiling children and charming sheep to tough industrial workers - is well-known and beloved around the globe. Thorpe credits innovative artists Van Gogh and Mark Rothko as strong influences, but the vision he shares is uniquely his own: "If you see a flower, look at it, paint it - but don't pick it, don't hurt it! That's the kind of innocence I'm trying to get across." In addition to being visually striking, Thorpe’s heartfelt work manages to elicit a profound feeling from the most stoic of viewers. "Life’s journey can be the loneliest and most painful place," he explains, "[however, if we] have faith in our own inner strength, look beyond the despair, we will discover hope."His own life experience has led Thorpe to passionately believe that hopes and dreams - and love - will eventually triumph over adversity.
