Today we’d like to introduce you to Bruce Thorn.
Bruce, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
Born on Chicago’s South side in November, 1952, I came of age during a time of anti-war protests, the civil rights movement, widespread police brutality and the mass cultural upheavals that defined the 1960’s. I decided early on to become a painter and from the beginning my artwork reflected the intensity, complexity and introspection of the times. I earned a B.F.A. from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1975 and an M.F.A. from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1987. My work has been exhibited in the United States, Czechoslovakia, Canada and the Netherlands.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
Since the mid Nineteen Nineties, I’ve been working with painting that is abstract and improvisational. These paintings are usually made without preparatory drawings and could not be made with any medium other than paint.
The work presents abstracted references to ideas and personal experiences; to memories, places, nature, calligraphy, the human figure, architecture, music, dance, sounds and smells. The goal is for each painting to be a wellspring of continual possibility, mystery, imagination and engagement. To attempt to do so can navigate a full range of painterly methodology.
Any advice for aspiring or new artists?
Please remember to have a life and be kind and honest with others while you’re at it. Everybody has to figure out a professional path and style on their own. Real love of and dedication to your art is a must.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
The best way to support my art is to purchase the work and to provide exhibition opportunities. Seeing the paintings in person will be easy and fun to do if you first request jpegs and information from me, then set up an appointment to visit the studio, a small building behind my house in Portage Park. I always have some very collectible works available at any given price range and one can also purchase works online.
Sometimes opportunities come up to purchase a painting for a fully deductible donation to the permanent collection of a museum, with the prestige of being listed as a donor.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://brucethorn.com/
- Email: brucethorn@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thorn.bruce/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100013054814946
Image Credit:
All photos courtesy Bruce Thorn Studio.
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