Artist in residence Mackenzie Thorpe, Brighton WORDS BY ALICE COOKE
Go For Your Gun
M
ackenzie Thorpe always wanted to be an artist. He would draw constantly, even as a young child. “I am dyslexic,” he says, “and it felt like drawing and painting was the only thing I was any good at.” Far from following his dreams into the world of art, Mackenzie initially worked in the shipyards of the north east, where he grew up, and also spent some time training to be a baker. “Those years were inspirational and challenging in equal amounts,” he says wistfully. “I didn’t really fit in, but there was a fantastic sense of friendship and solidarity in the face of hard industrial work. I eventually managed to get myself into art college, which presented its own very different set of challenges.” “My background for an artist is a bit of an unlikely one,” he admits. “And for me it was about not letting the hand which life has dealt you be the deciding factor in what you choose to do. The power is within us all to change our circumstances and reach out for our dreams.” From his “unlikely” beginnings, Mackenzie is now credited with changing the face of commercial art publishing in the UK, and has garnered a considerable following that includes both the author JK Rowling and HM Queen Elizabeth II. Of his many pieces, he names No-One to Catch Me as one of his favourites. “It just seems to sum up the feelings I have had at various times in my life, when I really felt on my own – ‘If I jumped would there be anyone to catch me?’” he says. “I have always felt a sense of isolation, and that comes through in a lot
Skipping Together
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SUSSEX LIFE June 2014
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