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Artist reveals the character of people in her work
November
16, 2005
The Brampton Guardian
Tina Depko
Photo by Bryon Johnson — Mary Noble's passion for painting portraits is apparent from the dozens she has in her studio. The public can see her works this month in Brushes with Success at Artway at Shoppers World.
Mary Noble becomes animated when she starts talking about her portraits.
The Brampton artist has a large collection of paintings of Brampton faces assembled in her studio, from a gentle-looking woodcarver to a defiant teenager.
These are real, everyday people who are worth noticing, according to Noble.
"I'm not doing wonderful, traditional portraits of people in their finery," she explained. "These are the people of our time. I like to see the character of the person, so when I do a portrait, it isn't about making it so beautiful that someone is going to want to buy it, it is about who they are."
An illness that left Noble homebound in 1979 marked a turning point in her life.
Two busy careers as a mom and a supervisor for an insurance company left no time up to that point to explore a lifelong passion for art. A pastel drawing she created during her sickness led to a suggestion from the owner of a framing store that she take art classes. Noble decided it was worth a try.
"My friend's father was a commercial artist and he started giving me weekly lessons in oil and watercolour painting," she said. "The first day I painted something for him, he told me I could be an artist."
The lessons awakened Noble's artistic spirit. She decided to study illustration at Sheridan College to see where it would lead.
"It was an exciting time in my life," she said. "I've been a full-time artist since. This is inside of me and I have to do it."
Noble continued to work with watercolours, oils and pastels, primarily painting florals and landscapes. A few years later she decided to switch to acrylics, which were more suitable for her ongoing interest in portraits. She found other artists with the same interests in a new group called Visual Arts Brampton.
Twenty years later, she is still with them, participating in weekly portrait sessions and teaching acrylic classes.
"Art can mean a lot of things to people," she commented about her teaching experience. "People take up art for a lot of different reasons, such as stress or sickness, so helping them along the way by teaching them art is something I can do. You have to do what you can in life, and this is something I can do."
Noble is the featured artist of Visual Arts Brampton's Brushes With Success exhibit, on now at Artway in Shoppers World until Nov. 25. The show includes examples of her portraits, as well as landscapes.
While she loves portraiture, Noble has also developed a passion for painting scenes from fishing villages. She makes an annual pilgrimage to Nova Scotia with her husband to find new inspiration.
"When I go out East and see the remnants of this disappearing lifestyle, it is sad because it is a piece of history and a part of our heritage," Noble said. "It goes back to the ordinary person and the ordinary way of life."
Brushes with Success runs until Nov. 25 at Shoppers World. To view more of Noble's works, visit www.marynoble.ca.