I adore the artwork of Th•rn. These painted ceramics have the whimsical curiousness and eccentric charm of medieval art. Wolves and demons are rampant in the world of Th•rn. These mischievous and devilish beings, funny little things with the quaint proportions of fanciful creatures dreamed up by monks in the Middle Ages, are depicted with a naive expressivity. Sinister pests, they are ever threatening and embroiled with saint-like female figures with melancholy faces, serene yet mournfully grave. Everything is of a type, the imps, the wolves, the women, again hearkening to the symbolism of medieval Christian art. Tears, thorns, touches of red, gold details, and curious beasts with human faces abound in Th•rn’s dolorous yet cozy style. The spiky and asymmetrical shapes of the ceramic frames add a modern twist to the antique qualities of this imagery. Th•rn’s altars, candleholders, incense holders, and objects d’art are lovable and boldly striking – cloistral adornments for the home. One of their pieces, a little ceramic wall charm, is entitled The Immaculate Wolf, and I just love that name because I feel like it perfectly expresses their aesthetic – “immaculateness” being a concept/attribute that is usually ascribed to the Virgin Mary. There’s something at once provocative, intriguing, and precious about it.
