Celebrated artist Mackenzie Thorpe talks to Peter Barron about how his hometown of Middlesbrough continues to shape his success around the world …
Drawing inspiration from Teesside
Armed with a £ 10 note and a corned beef sandwich from his mam , Mackenzie Thorpe caught the night bus from Middlesbrough to London in pursuit of his dream .
He ’ d been made redundant from his job at Smith ’ s Dock shipyard two years earlier , walked into Cleveland College of Art & Design , and declared : “ I want to be an artist .”
But , in a hurry to make his mark at the age of 21 , he decided his best chance of success was to head to London .
Without even knowing where he was going to sleep that night , he turned up at Byam Shaw School of Art at six in the morning , waited for it to open , then used a piece of hardboard he ’ d picked up from a nearby woodyard to paint a man at a steelworks .
It was a scene inspired by his beloved Middlesbrough – it was what came naturally – and Mackenzie has been carrying the spirit of Teesside with him on his travels around the world ever since .
“ I am what I am because of Middlesbrough , and I ’ ll never forget where I ’ m from – never ,” he says .
“ I think about the kids I was at school with , the people I worked with , and their voices go round like a movie in my head ,
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Teessider – Renowned artist Mackenzie Thorpe has fond memories of Middlesbrough ’ s iconic Transporter Bridge .
gripping me by the heart , pulling me back , and telling me : “ Don ’ t get too big for your boots !
“ I can ’ t ever step off track because Middlesbrough people won ’ t let me .”
Mackenzie was born on his grandma ’ s couch at 66 St Paul ’ s Road , in the Newport area of Middlesbrough , at 7.30am on Monday , December 17 , 1956 .
Early memories include playing on an old bomb site , and ‘ oggy raiding ’ for apples , pears and plums from the posh houses in Acklam .
“ Sometimes , we ’ d go hungry and cold ,” he admits . “ We had lemonade bottles filled with hot water from the kettle to keep us warm . We wore coats in bed , and there ’ d be a candle in the toilet to stop it from freezing . But one thing we never lacked was love .”
Mackenzie ’ s dad , Raymond – better known as Big Mac – was a labourer . He met his wife , Maureen , during National Service , at Catterick , and they had seven children . “ We grew up thinking we didn ’ t have anything , and yet everything we needed was there in spades : security , strength , and love . We were given values that I ’ ve carried with me all my life – be kind , look after people , don ’ t hurt anyone . Mam and Dad seemed to do nothing and yet they did everything .”
At school , Mackenzie was branded “ thick and lazy ” because he was dyslexic , but he now describes the condition as a doubleedged sword .
“ I got everything wrong , and they said I was stupid , but the teachers would send me to the back of the class and say ‘ just draw ’, so I got to do what I loved most . I can ’ t see words , but I can see every angle , every perspective ,” he explains .
Forty-five years on from that fateful bus ride to London , Mackenzie ’ s perspective on life – often featuring faceless working men , the Transporter Bridge , and Boro scarves – is in demand internationally . And , wherever he is in the world , he finds himself talking about where he ’ s from .
“ Whenever I do a show – be it America ,