Bjorn Thorkelson, 1971 | Figurative painter

G. Bjorn Thorkelson was born in Orange, CA. He has been working as an illustrator for the last 13 years and is currently making the transition to fine art.  He currently shows at Gasov and Gurule in Scottsdale and The Wilcox Gallery in Jackson.

A native of Southern California, Bjorn lives with is wife Connie and four boys, T'Jae, Braden, Shawn and Riley in his Southeastern Idaho studio/home. Art has been his passion since early childhood and he cannot remember wanting to do anything else.

His early "crayon studies" of kindergarten took on more importance as he realized that he wanted to be an artist. "I've always loved to draw," he says, "it's as simple as that. Painting is merely an extension of that desire".

After graduating from Art Center College of Design with honors, he pursued illustration as a practical means of providing for a young family and preparing to achieve his ultimate goal of becoming a painter.

In his illustration pursuits, he achieved both financial and critical success, but never felt the satisfaction he desired. "I always new what I wanted to do", he says. "At some point, I just had to go for it, and paint for myself".

So, after 12 years as a fulltime illustrator, he has entered the fine art gallery market. Bjorn adds, "I look at my years as an illustrator as a period of intense learning and preparation.

Through illustration, I learned the skills necessary to create art and now enter the galleries with a more mature vision of who I am and what I want to communicate. I'm passionate about what I do. I wake up everyday with a new hope of creating something special or learning something new

".

Bjorn's first group of paintings met with considerable success as he sold all seven of them within a month.

Since then has been selling consistently and is currently showing his work at Wilcox Gallery in Jackson, WY and Gasov and Gurule in Scottsdale, AZ. Though his transition from illustration to fine art is almost complete, his journey has just begun.

He looks forward to a career full of challenge and growth. "I'm still young… I've got a lot to learn", he says. "That's what I love about painting. There's no limit to how much I can learn and improve. Hopefully, as I grow, I can share some of the beauty that I see in the world around me and leave a lasting impression on those that see my work". If Bjorn's present work is any indication, he will do just that.