Angela Thouless

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Scottish artist Angela Thouless’ passion for urban art was sparked during her first trip to Amsterdam in 2012. In the neighborhood of Spuistraat, home to a community of creative types, she took countless pictures of decaying buildings and graffiti, travelling there almost every year to renew her repertoire. What attracted her was the impromptu and transient nature of street art as well as its multiculturalism, as many artists would come from outside the country to make murals. Her series of spray can tribal mask paintings was inspired by a workshop Thouless led in her hometown of Aberdeen, during which she painted on old spray cans. The suite is an exotic and luxuriant array of tribal masks incorporating elements from African, Asian, and South American traditions. The masks are depicted on spray cans and surrounded by lush patterns of plants and animals. The series has a distinctly metropolitan feel and celebrates diversity through a message of unity: we are one species and one tribe.  

Thouless earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drawing and Painting and Master’s Degree and Postgraduate Diploma in Art and Design from Robert Gordon University’s Gray's School Of Art in Aberdeen, Scotland. She exhibited widely in the UK as well as all over Europe and North America. She is the owner of Tribe All, which designs t-shirt collections of tribal masks from all over the world. As a designer, Thouless participated in the Aberdeen and Milan Fashion Weeks. Her work appeared in publications such as Elle Decor, Red Magazine, and House & Garden.

 

Statement

My work draws inspiration from the urban environments and street art of European cities. My spray can painting series incorporates the vibrant palette and compositional elements of graffiti with the traditional aesthetic of tribal masks. With this, I wish to celebrate the wonderful diversity there is in this world, while promoting a sense of togetherness. Despite our many differences, we are all one beautiful tribe.

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Website: www.angelathouless.com