By Stephen Smoot
“Ars longa, vita brevis.”
Lucius Annaeus Seneca, the Roman Empire poet and statesman, wrote a tract entitled “On the Shortness of Life,” or, in Latin, “De Brevitate Vitae.” Within the essay reminding readers to not waste one second of a brief existence on earth comes the phrase “Ars longa, vita brevis,” or “Art is long, life is short.
Seneca attributes the quote originally to the Greek physician Hippocrates. In the estimation of the good doctor, the phrase equated “art” with one’s work, saying life is short, but it takes a lifetime to master a craft. Others take the phrase to mean that while a man’s life may be measured in mere decades, the impact of his art could extend for decades. For the most important artistic works, such as the Psalms in the Holy Bible, that impact lasts for millennia.
Closer to home, Petersburg artist and entrepreneur Kelson Thorne seeks to trod the path paved by both interpretations. He owns and operates Art Junkie LLC with a Facebook page featuring his work across the region and in other sections of the state.
Over the past few years, towns and cities of the Potomac Highlands have seen rich infusions of color, spectacle, area culture, and tradition gracing the sides of buildings. These murals represent the effort of Thorne to bring to bold colors the aspects that make each of these unique places and people so special..
“As I’ve gotten older,” he shared, “I’ve wanted to create something for the area, something that people can resonate with and be proud of.” Many of his pieces have a dual purpose to both instill pride in the people for their community while showcasing the place’s best and most interesting aspects to visitors.
Like many young people, Thorne moved away to pursue his art dreams and then had to return. He shared that “when I moved back, I thought my art career was over,” but it was from the muses of people, the scenery, the history, and the culture of what was familiar to him all of his life that he drew, and draws, his inspiration.
His current project has slowly come to life over the past few weeks on the wall of Potomac Lanes. Where once a blank wall greeted bowling alley patrons, over time figures of law enforcement, fire fighters, and EMS slowly emerged. Determined expressions sternly face the danger of a wildfire billowing behind a fire engine.
This mural, and another in Petersburg depicting emergency responders, conveys vividly a powerful, yet recently created set of historical memories. In multiple recent years, the quick proliferation of fires in dangerous conditions brought out every emergency responder who could take up the fight to protect lives and property. Those men and women’s hard and brave work is remembered in these unique works that will remain in place long after those alive at their creation has passed.
“People started to get into it,” he related, adding that vision has expanded into providing other local artists opportunities to share their talent at South Side Depot in Petersburg and also bringing high school students into community projects.
A Thorne mural opens with a “scribble grid.” He said with a laugh that “people think it looks like graffiti.” Marks that appear random to the untrained eye actually help the artist to map out proportions as he or she use technology to help to translate their vision from a sketch to the surface selected for painting.
From there, the artist brings a vision that will last for generations into full living color. And that takes the story to the next iteration of “ars longa, vita brevis,” that of the development of the master craftsman.
“Every project that I do, I take something away that I didn’t know previously,” Thorne explained. With every project, he seeks out ways to incorporate something new, whether it be a technique, technology, or some other facet. Thorne quantified that at least four percent of every new project will incorporate something he has not done before.
One example lay in the mural he created at Pilgrims, now the largest mural by a single artist in the state of West Virginia. Thorne usually applies paint with brushes and other typical tools of the trade, but not this time. He used devices to precisely apply the paint, just one example of Thorne “adding tools to my toolbox.”
“I like experimenting with new methods and building on what I already know,” he stated, adding that the importance for him was “so I can continue to grow and challenge myself.” He has eyeballed using ultraviolet reflective paints on his next project to create different color effects.
Growth that comes from pushing himself has led to huge opportunities for himself and the region. In a partnership with Mon Forest Towns, West Virginia University, and the Pendleton County Convention and Visitors Bureau, Thorne will collaborate with aspiring high school artists to create public art out of canoes. Canoes painted to reflect area culture and history will be used as information booth kiosks in Seneca Rocks and Franklin.
Additionally, this spring he has put his brush into service for both the Potomac Highlands and the nation itself, participating in the America 250 mural creation event.
