before the inception of ec gallery, thorn worked at an art gallery, images international of hawaii, in hyatt regency hotel in the waikiki beach area and this inspired thorn to open her own art gallery. after spending 5 years at images she wanted to open her own art gallery but couldn't open because she was refused a loan from the bank.  in 1998 she opened her first art gallery in la jolla and closed that and opened one at fashion valley in san diego. in 2002 she opened crown thorn publishing representing unknown artists and bringing them to market. thereafter she opened several art galleries in different cities of the usa. she opened a 5,000 sq ft gallery in solana beach in november 2018.