About the artist:

David Thorpe (born 1950, London, UK)

Having completed school, he studied fine art, illustration and graphic design for six years. The first two years of fine art and graphic design at Loughton College, Essex. A further three years at Brighton College of Art (obtaining a B. A. in illustration and graphic design) and the last year doing a post-graduate course at Central School of Art in London.

Between 1971 and 1974 David was employed as a designer and illustrator by Mitchell Beazley Publishers in London, later to become Dorling Kindersley. During those years he helped produce artwork and illustrations for the largest visual art bank in the world.

In 1975 whilst working as an illustrator for a London based package Design Company David was offered the position of Art Director on a sports magazine published by Nasionale Pers in Cape Town, South Africa. He moved to  Cape Town later that year and worked on Topsport Magazine before being asked to join Die Huisgenoot magazine as Art Director, his first task being to redesign the magazine and to illustrate a new section devoted to children.

In 1979 David was lured into the advertising world having been offered a lucrative position as Art Director with BBDO in Cape Town. He subsequently moved to Campbell Ewald and then to Lindsay Smithers where he met and befriended another illustrator/Art Director, Barry Jackson, who is now a world renowned sculptor.

David eventually left ‘Services Rendered’ to pursue his love of design as well as illustration. He was asked to join Cosmopolitan magazine as a designer for special assignments and in-house design . At the same time he was offered a design position with the Janice Ashby Design Studio in Wynberg, Cape Town.

Three years later David decided to freelance once again. This time he moved to Plettenberg Bay, buying a smallholding in the Crags, where he continued illustrating books for a further two and a half years.

In 1994 he decided to concentrate on painting and produced enough work for a sell-out exhibition. David’s  love of light and the paintings of Jan Vermeer led to many commissions of both watercolours and oils.

In 1998 David spent nine months in England where he had work accepted by the Royal Society of Wildlife Artists. This was exhibited in The Mall Gallery, Pall Mall London. He also exhibited in The Westminster Gallery and other smaller galleries.

In 2016, David and his wife Fiona moved back to Cape Town to be nearer their children and granddaughter and continued to paint commissions, for galleries and tutor private student. Then, in 2024, David, Fiona and the family all moved back to Plettenberg Bay on the Garden Route.