House of Blah Blah, Middlesbrough.
Haven Thorn is an emerging artist working primarily with acrylic on canvas, exhibiting nationwide. Her meditative, expressive brushstrokes blend with a refined exploration of humanity’s relationship with nature, resulting in ethereal, surreal landscapes and beings. Ancient myths and imagined fables shape the narratives in her work, particularly drawing from the traditional tales and folklore of her English and Norwegian heritage.
Thorn studied at CCAD (now The Northern School of Art) before earning First-Class Honours from Kingston University in 2014. After graduating, she returned home for family reasons and spent the next two years exhibiting in notable venues such as MIMA, The House of Blah Blah, and Company House in London. She also created murals for festivals including Old Saw Mill Garden Party, Under The Stars, and Lindisfarne.
However, in early 2016, a series of personal losses and upheavals derailed her artistic trajectory. Already navigating the grief of losing several close family members and friends, she found herself in unstable living situations and grappling with the fallout of medical negligence, abuse, and difficult relationships. Work in waitressing, retail, and call centers replaced exhibitions, though she continued producing art through drawing commissions, particularly pet portraits. Long Covid added another layer of difficulty, keeping her away from public showcases for years.
It wasn’t until the summer of 2023 that her work was exhibited again—her first public showing in seven years at a town hall festival event in Ashbourne. In 2024, she exhibited at Pineapple Black in Middlesbrough and returned to Ashbourne Festival.
Although Haven is focused on moving forward, an underlying darkness and mysticism remain present in her work, echoes of the past subtly intertwined with new visions. Her inspirations range from HR Giger, Nichola Hicks, Salvador Dalí, and Edvard Munch to Wolfgang Tillmans, Lucian Freud, and Anthony Gormley. Their influence can be seen in her practice, where expressive strokes meet deliberate refinement, and where figures and faces emerge and shift, leading the eye on a journey through her painted worlds.
Haven Thorn 