Kyle Noble

University: Duncan of Jordanstone
Graduation Year: 2009

New Blood Art Commentary

Kyle Noble’s hypnotic work blends a unique mix of media and skill developed from years of training. From the surrealist technique of automatic drawing, to painting with ancient Chinese pigments such as malachite and lapis lazuli, each piece of work projects a colourful vision of new uncharted territory. Archaic forests with swivelling Chinese trees become the playground of dreams. Deep-blue starlit skies pull the viewer in to an unpolluted and untainted abyssal glow. Psychedelic landscapes capture the thrumming life of nature itself, rather than merely its static image. Each piece is possessed with a level of artistic intricacy and jewel-like exquisiteness that’s very hard to turn away from.

For the first time here an artist joins NewBloodArt in our Masters section. Noble has had significant solo exhibitions held in Scotland and Taiwan, as well as group shows in London and South Korea. He was recently the recipient of a prestigious Royal Scottish Academy Latimer award, and continues to draw inspiration from both the Scottish wilderness and Eastern aesthetics. The expanse of his research and skill ultimately serves to create work that projects his vision of a "radical prehistory" that underpins and lives through the living world.

Kyle's work was selected for the 2023 RSA Annual Exhibition.

Artist Statement

My practice has a strong drawn element exploring the Scottish wilderness with automatic drawing, hypnotic pattern making and Eastern aesthetics.

Over the last ten years I have devoted my practice to the description of an imaginary ancient culture called 'The Meiklians', who built the stone circles around my home in Aberdeenshire. Through drawing, painting and relic making I describe this fictional territory of mind, calling the collective body of work 'The Meiklian Project'.

The surfaces upon which I work are measured to the academically rejected dimension, the 'Megalithic Yard’ which was suggested by archeo-astronomer Alexander Thom. This refuted measurement has become an integral part of my process, becoming the foundation upon which I project my vision of a radical prehistory.

Currently my work offers an alternative meditation on Scottish landscape painting. The Meiklian Project was originally inspired by the bronze age ancient sites and iron age landscape around Aberdeenshire. However, through that inquiry I developed a fanatical interest in exploring and documenting Scotland’s wild ecology and native woods, these expeditions have come to inspire works that explore a wild archaic Scottish landscape. Whilst living in Taiwan, Hong Kong and more recently China, I have studied Chinese landscape painting, explored aesthetic techniques and materials such as ink, rice paper, malachite and lapis.

Alongside my studio practice and passion for wilderness, I continue to explore a meditative inquiry into the nature of being, although most of my work reflects an aspect of this, my Flammarian series illustrates insights the most directly.

I live and work in the Scottish highlands.

Solo Exhibitions

(2018) Wild Hanging Woods, Resipole Gallery, Ardnamurchan

(2018) Paradise Lost, 108 Fine Art, Taiwan

(2015) Before the Stones, Newave Gallery, Aberdeen

Group Exhibitions

(2018) Deagu Art Fair, 108 Fine Art, South Korea

(2017) John Ruskin Prize, Millenium Gallery, Sheffield

(2016) The Artist Traveler, Royal Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh

(2014) Its just a quick walk into the future, Arusha Gallery, Edinburgh

(2014) Have we met before, John Martyn Gallery, London

(2014) London Art Fair, 108 Fine Art, London

(2014) Art 14 Art Fair, John Martyn Gallery, London

(2013) Jerwood Drawing Prize, Jerwood Arts, London

Competitions, Prizes & Awards

(2021) RSA Latimer Award

(2017) Shortlisted for the John Ruskin Prize

(2014) RSA Highland Society of London Award

(2013) RSA William Littlejohn Award, Royal Scottish Academy