Bruce Noble

I worked as a Consultant Ophthalmologist at Leeds General Infirmary for 25 years but retired early from surgical practice to concentrate on painting. I gained a Foundation Degree in Leeds in 2009 and I now work primarily as a portraitist.

My art is anchored in the ancient disciplines of observation and response to the stimulus of what is seen and felt, modified by memory and imagination. I hope my paintings and work exist without the need for long explanations. Drawing and painting from life help me record the spontaneity of the moment; line and bold use of colour are hallmarks, and the human condition is increasingly my subject matter.

I am fascinated by recording those around me. I love the informal, transient poses, those casual, informal movements such as a turn of their head, or glance of the eyes that are such a challenge to record. These quick drawings are often the start a series of ideas for later work, but doing a drawing unnoticed requires intense observation, (often being allowed no more than a few seconds before the subject is aware of my gaze), and an easy familiarity of drawing the human form. Combining these many years of artistic practice with my skills as a doctor to rapidly assess and address the medical and human needs of my patients makes portraiture a natural preoccupation; here I can adapt to the particular challenge of searching for a likeness, establishing empathy with my subjects and reflecting their inner selves in the language of their face, body and hands.

Exhibitions

Group shows including New English Art Club and the Royal Society of British Artists, Mall Galleries, London; Leeds Open(2010) and Leeds Fine Artists.

Invited exhibitions with Isa Denyer-Jarrett-Kerr, Tadcaster (2009, 2010); nobleArt in Cambridge Leeds and Harrogate(2002,2003,2004,2005).

Open studio 2011 with potter Dan Ash.

One man show at University College Hospital Gallery (2012).

My work is represented in many private collections in the UK, Switzerland, Eire, Australia, South Africa and North America.

email: brucenoble