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BOOK "A Crossroads" with DVD & Print

 Pint/ Limited Edition Serigraph on Paper "Strange Fruit"

by Mackenzie Thorpe

Print:  Hand signed by the artist & numbered

Print  Size: 9" x 11.5"

Book Size: 10" x 12"

Edition Number: 236/595

Condition: MINT

Certificate of Authenticity and appraisal are included

100 percent guarantee of authenticity

Gallery Retail is $1,095.00 

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     Mackenzie Thorpe


Mackenzie Thorpe's Art is amongst the most sought after in the UK today. His reputation as an artist continues to grow worldwide on an unprecedented scale. He is an ordinary individual, who has, through his art, the extraordinary ability to convey emotions and messages that speak a universal language.
Mackenzie was born the first of seven children in 1956. His upbringing was no different to that of the thousands of other children born into a solid North Easters, working class setting. There were financial hardships and tough lessons to be learn on the streets of post war Middlesbrough.
As a child, little set Mackenzie apart from his peers, only his inherent ability and strong drive to draw, using whatever raw materials he could lay his hands on.

His childhood experiences and recollections have created in him a mixed bag of emotions. He remembers with affection and fondness the strong feeling of community, the warmth of togetherness that comes from sharing hard times and struggle. He remembers the quick street humor that both then and now is so much part of everyday life in Middlesbrough.
In contrast to this, he remembers the pain of isolation and loneliness, the fear and darkness that at times would swamp his world. This was an environment where the aesthetic attributes of art held little or no sway - there were no role models to be guided or inspired by and no indication that art could be anything other than a hobby.
The only exception to this was Rolf Harris whose weekly TV show would hold both the nation and a young Mackenzie enthralled, as week after week Rolf would bring his show to a magical end, by creating, in front of the viewer's eyes, a virtual masterpiece of instant art from a blank canvas. Using large sweeping strokes with wide brushes dripping with paint. Rolf would have everyone marveling at his talent.
In Mackenzie's childhood world there were no other artists that he had access to, and so whilst his natural talent was admired and indeed used for projects (such as painting the backdrops for school plays) there was no attempt to channel him into an environment where his skill could be used. Suffering from undiagnosed dyslexia and therefore unlikely to achieve any academic qualifications, it was accepted and understood that Mackenzie would follow the path of his peers into the shipyards, which is what he did at the age of 15.
The years that followed were challenging for Mackenzie. He had no outlet for his art and no hope of how he might utilise his talent. He was working hard physically and was in the environment his birthright had prepared him for. The strength and unity of the men he was working with stays with him today and he remembers the time with pride for the sheer hard work that, day after day these men carried out. But for someone with the absolute need to express himself through art, it was at times a lonely environment for him.MacKenzie remembers watching "Lust for Life" starring Kirk Douglas as Vincent Van Gough, and relating strongly to the artist who struggled to express himself through his work. Through these difficult years. Mackenzie continued to draw and paint, but frustration with his situation continued to grow.
Eventually encouraged by his uncle Lawrence, he plucked up courage to apply to Middlesbrough College of Art. His lack of formal qualifications and his barely readable application form did little to support his application but the strength and volume of his work combined with his enthusiasm and obvious talent won him a place and, after two years he transferred to the Byam Shaw school of Art in London.After completing his degree he spent several years working with inner-city children in London before returning to the north with his wife and young children. In 1989 the family moved to Richmond, North Yorkshire and Mackenzie set up a shop selling art materials.
Unprepared for the reality of running a small retail outlet, Mackenzie started using the art materials he was selling and for the first time the general public had the opportunity to view his work. Reactions were not initially complementary, but he continued working and gradually people started to really look at the uniqueness of his art.
Both visitors and local people recognized the stark beauty of his landscapes and started to smile at the humor, identifying with the images of family, appreciating the naivety of the big heads, the total originality of the square sheep, the forgotten splendor of industry and the people who worked in it.
From then until today, Mackenzie has become one Britain's most collectable and best-loved artists. Recent accolades have included a 'Best published Artist Award' from the Fine Art Trade Guild; an Honorary Master of Arts Degree from the University of Teeside and being chosen to produce five official Christmas cards for conservative politician William Hague.It is truly a rare talent for a man from unlikely working class beginnings to have used the equally unlikely medium of art to successfully communicate across the barriers of age, class, gender and race - yet that is what Mackenzie Thorpe does.
His work expresses the entire range of human emotions, feelings from love, life and laughter, to struggle and adversity, challenge and innocence. Through his unique works, this artist has risen from the people, to draw for the people. An artist whose own life tells us that old frail dreams can become goals that are worth nurturing and working towards, that love and honesty can and will triumph over adversity. Here is an artist who draws and paints about the life that we all live.

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