Background
I grew up in Devon, then completed an undergraduate degree in English & American Literature at Warwick, then a postgraduate Diploma in Law at Exeter. For 16 years now, I have had the privilege of being a full-time parent to our two wonderful autistic boys. We live in Co Offaly, on the beautiful Island of Ireland.
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I began painting in 2022 as a way to process grief & childhood trauma. Since then, my work has sold world-wide and been selected for exhibition with (among others) The Royal Scottish Society of Painters In Watercolour at the RSA, The Women In Art Fair at the Mall Galleries and The Royal Society Of Portrait Painters (Inaugural Drawing Prize) at the University of Hull.
Having never picked up a paint brush until 3 years ago, this has been a steep learning curve! My paintings are rarely planned: almost entirely instinctive representations of emotions and place. I am fascinated by our connection to the land and water, spending a lot of time in the Wicklow hills, hiking, running, wild swimming and sketching. Whilst predominantly painting in oils, I also use charcoal, ink & occasionally watercolour – always experimenting and becoming increasingly fascinated by abstraction: The idea that the simplest composition can convey enormous emotion and energy through the use of simple shapes, colours and texture. I am also beginning to play around with marrying abstraction with figurative elements (though lack of space is currently limiting the scale I can work at).
Previously a student of Art History, I guess I have very many influences, from Joan Eardley, Sheila Fell and William Scott to Tracy Emin and Hughie O’Donoghue. Possibly largely due to my late start in life (I was 50 when I began), I strongly believe in the importance of painting for myself, not the audience. As a result, not all of my work is comfortable to look at! I want it to provoke emotions, no matter what they are.
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Please don't hesitate to contact me with any enquiries about paintings for sale, or possible commissions. I am always happy to arrange payment plans.
There is a contact form on the home page and you can also find me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Becca3Artach.
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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beccathorneart/
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Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/beccathorne.bsky.social
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Exhibitions:
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TALP Open online, 2023 (awarded a Highly Commended by the judges);
https://www.painters-online.co.uk/talp-open-competitions
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The Dartmoor Collective Summer Exhibition 2023, Poltimore House, Devon.
https://dartmoorcollective.org/summer-exhibition-2023/
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Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour 143rd Annual Exhibition at the Royal Scottish Academy, 2024
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February & March 2024: Solo exhibition in Edenderry Library, Co Offaly, thanks to Creative Places Edenderry and The Arts Council of Ireland.
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Women In Art Fair, October 2024, at the Mall Galleries, London.
https://www.mallgalleries.org.uk/exhibitions-events/women-art-fair-2024
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The Royal Society of Portrait Painters Inaugural Drawing Prize: Revealing The Human, October & November 2025. https://therp.co.uk/the-rp-inaugural-drawing-prize-2025-exhibition-revealing-the-human/
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The Offaly Artists Exhibition, Esker Arts, Tullamore, November & December 2025
https://eskerarts.ie/events/offaly-artists-show-2025
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Even in the Darkest Times Exhibition, Ranelagh Arts, December 5th 2025 - January 9th 2026
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Some additional links:
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https://newirishart.com/irish-artists/rebecca-thorne-artist.htm
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https://dartmoorcollective.org/featured-content/becca-thorne/
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https://monologging.org/winter-22-23toc/
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https://medium.com/@TheArtistQuestionnaire/the-artist-questionnaire-6-becca-thorne-b67f40d235c0
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https://soundcloud.com/aetherealmaterial
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https://centmagazine.co.uk/explore-experience-learn-and-love-womens-cycles-in-art/
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Becca Thorne
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