Convergence:
Ann Thornycroft
Ann Thornycroft is an English-born, Southern California-based artist, who is known for her large-scale grid paintings of patterned arcs that showcase the beauty of the order of geometric shapes. Her works revel in fluidity and movement.
Educated at the British art schools Central School of Art and Chelsea School of Art, Thornycroft moved to New York City in 1969 eventually landing in Venice, California in 1972 where she became an important figure in the Venice art scene. At the core of Thornycroft’s aesthetic is form, color and movement. The contrasting rigidity of the grid and the fluidity of the arcs is enhanced by sweeping washes of transparent paint that inspire meditation.
Like forms of poetry or certain constraints in musical composition, the grid’s strict structure opened up possibilities in her work from the early 70’s on. Along with her need for order is her spontaneous impulse which wants to break out of the order.
My earliest artistic influences began in England, where I was thoroughly grounded in drawing from the model, yet naturally drawn to abstraction inspired by Kandinsky and Mondrian. Access to remarkable museums and concert halls continuously educated me, but it was the English countryside—and painting in nature, responding to atmosphere and shifting light—that shaped my deepest visual sensibility.
Living in New York from 1969–72, an extraordinary time creatively, immersed me in interiors, studios, galleries, and the innovations of artists, dancers, musicians, and poets. Even in that intensely interior world, I remained attuned to how environments shape perception.
When I moved to Venice Beach in 1972, my view finally shifted outward again. The horizon, the structure before it, and the clarity of West Coast light sparked my minimal compositions and lifelong relationship with the grid. Today, Los Angeles’s geographic diversity and rich cultural mix continue to nourish my practice.
Looking toward 2026, the most exciting development is a major solo gallery exhibition in Los Angeles planned for the fall of next year. It is rare for me to have nearly a full year to prepare, and this opportunity—along with expanding representation—has brought a new sense of focus to my studio life.
I’m energized by the different kinds of painting I’m developing: poured paintings that rely on fluid movement, grid paintings that continue a long line of inquiry, textured works that emphasize materiality, and small pieces incorporating found objects. This period of concentrated experimentation feels truly transformative, shaping the direction of my work.