Clarice Kloezeman Thornton was born in Woodstock Ontario and raised in nearby London in a family surrounded by art and the local art scene.

“My dad was a professional artist and I owe a great deal of my abilities to him. I attended the H.B. Beal art school and then moved to Toronto for university. I became a high school teacher and taught English, Visual Arts and Special Education for 31 years before retiring in 2012 and joining Central Connection. Along the way I took several drawing and printmaking courses at OCAD. Working with students to bring out their potential was my passion and gave me a great sense of purpose, but no time to develop my own ideas. Now that I have the time, I am drawn to both sculpture (soapstone) and painting with acrylics. My work tends to have a more graphic quality as I enjoy working with the formal principles of art, such as movement, balance and contrast.”