Calgary based artist Rita Thorp paints contemporary abstract art using acrylics and mixed media. Rita enjoys the process of spontaneity and listens to her intuition. She begins with an overall theme inspired by feelings from experiences from travel or being out in nature or conversations with people she meets. From there she chooses a palette that speaks to those feelings and with several brushes, tools and media, a painting will emerge responding to the layers built on each other. Rita’s art has always been about creating meaningful work that connects to feelings and to life’s conditions. She has been painting professionally for the past 12 years. Each painting serves as a visual diary capturing the essence of people and places that have touched her soul. Her work has been published in several international magazines, Tatler UK, House and Garden, and Vanity Fair. You can also see her work at Franz Dopf Gallery in Calgary, Alberta.

ARTIST’S STATEMENT

I am passionate about creating work that reflects my emotions and experiences using paint as my text. I hope to connect with viewers own experiences and feelings. I want people to be intrigued when they see my work. From a distance one may see an abstract painting but up close, embedded beneath textured layers and colour, stories unfold. The imperfect lines and various colours may suggest to the viewer that our lives are lived in colour and somewhat like the imperfect squiggles in my art. These artworks infuse a space with beauty and elegance with meaning and stories to be enjoyed and interpreted however one responds to them.