New Zealand Artist Geoff Noble draws inspiration from the dynamic land and seascapes that surround him. He paints from his home in Kaikoura, where his studio is nestled at the foot of the Mount Fyffe range overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
A narrative is developed by weaving figurative images through landscape in a dreamy, stylised realism. These compositions invite the viewer to drift away for a moment into a world where soft, subtle and backdrops meet bright bold imagery. In a playful way, he draws the viewer to ask questions about one's surroundings, about social and personal growth and about human interaction with our environment.
Having spent a lot of time in the ocean, Geoff also shares with the viewer what intrigues him about these raw and rugged Coastlines, a constant feature in his paintings over the last 25 years of studio practice.
BIO
Born and raised in West Auckland, New Zealand, Geoff grew up with an attraction to form and paint. As a young teenager, an art teacher who nurtured this opened his eyes to the art world and started to direct him to realise his potential.
After High School, travelling with surfboard and art supplies, Geoff met other artists and became completely immersed in painting, producing work for group shows in Dunedin and Southland, New Zealand.
Geoff’s time in Christchurch was pivotal, working on a number of public pieces and shows but also having part time job for one of NZ’s most exciting and successful contemporary Artists, who shared his knowledge about the industry and the dedication it takes to achieve your goals. During Geoff’s four years in the city he worked out of a little studio producing paintings for a number of exhibitions in C4 gallery, the Harvest gallery in Lyttleton, and a variety group shows around the Christchurch art scene.
The time came to break away from the city scene and move to a very small and remote town on the West Coast in order to delve into self discovery as an artist. Geoff worked day and night, setting up a studio and producing work for his biggest solo show at the Left Bank Gallery. There were also paintings and woodcuts in shows at COCA gallery and RED Gallery and annual group shows that Geoff himself organised for local community artists in Karamea.
Now with a young family to support, the Tasman Bay area was looking attractive. Geoff worked for the World of Wearable Art as a creative designer and prop builder, and then at the local Art school as an art technician for 5 years. However, working 9 – 5 left a lot less time to paint, thus when the school was forced to make staff cuts, Geoff believes that being made redundant was the best thing for his career to move forward. Geoff could again really apply himself to paint every day and immerse himself in the production and exploration of art, predominantly painting.
So the logical progression was to set up the current business – Tahuna Studios – to support the full-time application to serious painting. From the Tahuna Studios warehouse in Nelson Geoff has had success in commercial commissions such as a 30m x 4.5 high painting (Brightwater) and exhibitions at Reflections Gallery (WOW), equilibrium gallery, Red Gallery, Fishbowl gallery plus shows in Auckland at Estuary arts, Sitka, Lopdell House and much more.
Successes include runner up in the 2012 NZ mural Art awards, first place in the art in windows (arts festival) and most recently won the Lisa Grennel Top of the South Art
Award. (Impressions Art Awards)
Good coverage was given, not only in the local Nelson Mail newspaper but Geoff was also approached by the NZ Artist magazine and given a four page article in the March/April 2015 issue.
Since then Geoff has been busy with many rolls in both the public and private sectors and at the core of it all is the application of paint. Coordinating and participating in visual arts projects around New Zealand , Being the artist in residance at the Nelson art festival 2018 , commissions for the Kaiteriteri Recreation and Reserves group, A huge mural for the eddy line brewery along with the constant studio works for exhibitions are all part of living the full time art dream.
