Share from Joshua Thorne

Ace was my dearest friend and greatest collaborator.  

It's rare in life to find someone who truly sees you.  Someone who understands the inner machinery of your mind without explanation.  From the moment we met, Ace and I recognized a shared creative spirit between us that allowed us to have that connection.  It sparked a decade long partnership of making art, exchanging ideas, and shaping each other's lives. Together, we built worlds from drawings, jokes, woodwork, music and conversation.  So much of who I am creatively was forged alongside him.

More than anything, I remember the laughter.

I have never laughed louder or longer than I did with Ace.  Humor flowed between us as naturally as breathing.  We could turn an ordinary moment into something unforgettable, laughing until tears streamed down our faces.  My fondest memories are the two of us losing ourselves in that degree of joy.

Our times together were flush with these moments.

Ace brought style, artistry, and soul into everything he touched.

I miss the things no one else could replace: sharing art with him and feeling that immediate spark of excitement, hearing his insights, his commentary, his laugh. I miss the way he moved through the world. I miss his spirit.

I miss him for all his multitudes, the beauty he contained and brought forth and for his foibles, I miss him entirely.

Some people leave memories behind. Ace left himself woven into the fabric of who I am. His influence lives in every piece of art I create, every deep conversation I crave, every unexpected burst of laughter that will always remind me of him.

To have loved him, and to have been loved by him in return, was one of the greatest gifts of my life.

~ Joshua Thorne