Art for Everyone by Mark Noble
Mark Noble is an ambassador for the Outside In programme, whose aim is to assist and promote disabled artists and an Inclusivity Ambassador for Creative Portal. This is an innovative website where artists from all disciplines can showcase their portfolios to industry professionals.
"Some of my art has centred around the struggle of being ignored and misunderstood. If you have a disability, I would encourage you to try art, I myself have had dark times, and art has helped me. As an Inclusivity Ambassador, I help to promote charities and encourage disadvantaged young people to sign up, get involved and express themselves creatively.
From a young age at school, people noticed I had a rare artistic gift; when I first went to school I started drawing butterflies or anything else I desired. I had a difficult time at school, dealing with autism and severe dyslexia. In the 1970s and early 1980s, a lot of it wasn't understood. Learning was difficult and you would be called names like 'thicko' or 'stupid' and other things I won't pronounce. I went to a SEN school where there were different classes where I could draw different images.
I continued to make art while I worked. I’ve been a funeral director and worked in gardens, been a chef and worked nearly 20 years in a local plastics factory. In 2001 I had to leave my job to take care of my two children. I went back to college in Street in Somerset, where my autism and severe dyslexia were diagnosed, and they had a module on art. For the most part, I taught myself how to paint. I found it hard to concentrate and learn through traditional teaching methods, but I was able to get qualifications from Strode College and I also received a degree at Bath Spa University. This was only possible thanks to lots of support and understanding from family and friends, and charities like SANE.
Normally, if I’m on a project, I take 3-4 days and I look at different ideas and then start with preliminary drawings. Then I’ll look into the quality of materials: for example, at the moment I’m looking at painting different universes on wood. Normally I would leave the wood out in the rain to make sure it’s absorbed it, and then I would do sketches, then gradually layer paint over it. I might leave it out in the elements for a couple of days, I let nature play around by leaving works outside - she does her own work in her own time. Some of the paint traps the natural world. Each piece of wood is also a slightly different surface, so I go layer, by layer, photograph and record it then start all over again. I’m using sustainability all the time in my work. I have a studio in the bedroom but I paint anywhere I want to paint – sometimes I paint on the cooker…
I am an ambassador for several charities. Outside In, based in Brighton, works with artists with disabilities. The whole idea is to give a platform to artists who face barriers into the art world. As an ambassador I make connections with various galleries, museums, and organisations to spread the word. I think the art world needs to hear from people who are slightly different; people that are slightly deaf, blind, in wheelchairs or have dyslexia like me.
Generally, I find literacy and numeracy to be quite difficult. Some everyday activities like reading bus timetables are a pain, but the positive thing is that I’m a creative and very visual person. I would say I’m observant and sensitive to light and colour – maybe because of my autism - this helps enormously when studying and producing art. Sometimes it’s a blessing in disguise in that it can give you a creative edge. Autism is intertwined with creativity and gives a perspective that adds depth and detail to my work. I see the world in a visual, mathematical, and creative way; I use art to interpret how I feel and how people around me feel.
I have also worked with Creative Health in Camden, a charity which puts on art workshops that help with patients’ health. Being severely dyslexic has led to problems around communication, for me writing and reading doesn’t really work. So I use art as a visual language - painting can convey a million words. Art as a visual tool to express my point of view.
I also use art to share the beauty of the natural world with others. I try my best to paint with passion and capture the little details that are often overlooked. My heroes are Turner, Constable and Church. It's eternal, the light these artists use and the light I use, and I think it's something magical. For me, it's quite spiritual. It's not religious but you touch on something sublime, or something which you can see, you can feel, but you can only grasp a small part of. A simple tube of paint can make something magical.
I did a painting once, at an art class or art gallery, and a woman came up, she was from Margate. She burst into tears when she saw my painting. I said to her, 'It can't be that bad!' She explained the colours of the setting sun triggered a childhood memory. My picture brought back to life that memory in her own mind. I also create abstract work and have a series of paintings based on the cosmos. Fellow artists have very kindly given me the title ‘Turner of the 21st Century’, but I call myself the ‘Painter of Light’.
At the moment my favourite thing to paint would be sunrises and sunsets. Most of my work comes from my own head, including the clouds, skies, and the natural world. One of the things that excites me the most is the unpredictability of the weather. I’ve lived by the sea and the mood is forever changing. At the moment I am working on quite big pieces in the garden that use familiar settings but put them in a different reality or universe. I want to promote environmentally friendly art: my ‘Driftwood Collection’ features art painted on recycled materials such as old tiles, window frames, bark and even old coffee table tops.
As well as engaging with a wider audience, I would also like to do more to expose discrimination against disabled people, whenever and wherever it occurs. I believe that art plays an important role in society, especially for the wellbeing of disabled people. I have faced boundaries, sometimes even hostilities, but have been lucky enough to express myself creatively and share my talent with the rest of the world. I want to encourage others to express themselves, no matter the issues they may be facing. Charities like Outside In, Shape Arts and DASH will give opportunities: if you're a severely dyslexic or severely disabled artist, they will try their best. I'm doing some work for SANE at the moment – they work with adults with mental health issues, their work is very important. Art can play a massive role in today’s society, especially for the wellbeing of disabled people. Painting even helped me get over alcoholism a few years ago.
I’ve exhibited all around the UK, and Europe and I’ve sold work across the globe. I’ve also exhibited for charities such as Parkinson’s Art (to raise awareness for Parkinson’s Disease). Several years ago, some of my art was displayed at Westminster for a government run exhibition celebrating 40 years of the Disability Rights Act. That was a very proud moment. I am currently running art workshops to encourage those whose creative dreams are yet to be fully realised.
I am also busy working on private commissions, exhibiting in several galleries around England, developing new ideas and getting children involved with art, teaching in forest schools or with charities, like Children's World."
www.marknoble.art
www.outsidein.org.uk
www.creativeportal.Co.uk
