Justine Lois Thorpe - 2018

Formally educated at Middlesex University and previously a successful Textile Designer, Justine has been enhancing her reputation as an artist and returned to her true passion of painting.

Justine’s style and influences vary through time, which is reflected in the experimental nature of her work. Her abstracts are energetic, restless and often reflect her curiosity, born from her formative years in St Agnes, to her emotional and physical connection with nature, the sea and the Cornish coastline. Her free use of oils, acrylics and other mixed media on board contributes to a unique and compelling style.

Justine was recently shortlisted at The Artists and Illustrators of the year 2018. Awarded the ‘Green and Stone Award’ by the Chelsea Art Society and has been shortlisted for the Discerning Eye Exhibition at the Mall Galleries, The Society of Women Artists, RSMA amongst other prestigious exhibitions.

I’ve been told that I have a somewhat restless nature. I think this may well be compounded by my occasional frustrations at not always being able to express myself, as I would wish, using the written and spoken word. Painting has always been my most effective form of expression. My solace and my communicator.

My paintings can sometimes be difficult to define because my thought process can be ambiguous. They can relate to tangible objects as well as emotions and perceptions. But most often it’s my curiosity, to my emotional and physical connection with nature, the sea and the British coastline, which forms a major part of my inspiration. My childhood in Cornwall has fed this curiosity.

I work mainly with oils on board using a fairly free and spontaneous style. These can be works of pure abstraction or often abstract representation. Initially by drawing and then by applying generous amounts of oil, creating layers, which are often scraped in certain ways, until I achieve my desired texture.