About Marty
Marty Noble was destined to be an artist from the day she arrived in this world. Her four grandparents met at the Cleveland School of Art in the early 1900’s. Her maternal grandfather became a very successful illustrator and fine artist. Her mother, Helen Noble, became a visual artist whose talent touched many mediums; painting, sculpture, and more – her love for printmaking was her personal favorite. Marty’s mother and grandfather were recognized in Who’s Who in American Art. “I was always immersed in the world of visual art” said Marty. Her siblings inherited the gift of artistic talent as well as her son, establishing four generations of known artists in her extended family. The rich “DNA” of artistic talent that was woven through the fabric of her family almost guaranteed Marty would evolve as an artist should she choose that path. Fortunately for us and the world, she did.
At the age of seventeen, growing up and living in Santa Barbara, Marty collected treasures including flat stones with natural holes in them during her exploratory trips to the beach. These were washed, decorated with paint, ink, lacquered and strung as necklaces. This first endeavor at creating and selling her creations at a local craft show was the beginning of making a living on her art. “I couldn’t believe it”, she said, “it was my first effort to sell my creations and when I sold everything that day,” she continued, “I was motivated and confident in pursuing my art in what became my life’s passion. From that point I have been totally immersed in making art” It wasn’t long after this that Marty moved to Sonoma, CA, in what became the first in a series of moves around the country during her lifetime and career, each contributing new opportunities and new influences she could weave into her work. Traveling and living for months at a time in Mexico in her early 20’s fueled her great interest in other cultures, particularly those of indigenous peoples. Her travels have also taken her to Guatemala, Thailand, Vietnam, Egypt and Israel as well as several European countries.
“I moved to Northern California in 1970 where I became fascinated with Batik - The process and results were magical and exciting and I really fell for it,” she explained. “I did small wall hangings and every weekend drove to San Francisco to Fisherman’s Wharf where outdoor craft shows were just becoming popular - I sold out every time. By then there was no looking back.” A few years later, Marty moved to Ojai, California, developing a loyal following as the batik work progressed to larger wall art sold in galleries. She often received comments like “your style is very illustrative”, and, “your subject matter tells a story” encouraging Marty to look for publishing opportunities. She switched her medium to watercolor and began to extend her own illustrative boundaries, as doors to the publishing world opened everywhere. Calendars, poster art, collector plates for the Franklin Mint, book illustration and greeting cards were just a few of the many categories where Marty’s beautiful interpretations of the world were appearing.
Eventually she narrowed her focus mainly to books as her illustrations were in high demand. In 1993 Marty began working with Dover Publications which has kept her very busy for 25 year. Over time her work for Dover focused on more adult themes with complex highly detailed illustration. “It was a natural progression”, says Marty, and ultimately led to her very intricate coloring books. She has also worked with other book publishers as coloring books have remained in high demand. To date she has had published over 350 coloring books. Marty’s travels and constant visual absorption of the world around translated into numerous exciting and breathtaking works of art from “Sugar Skulls” to “Steampunk” to “Angels”, to the flowing and mystical worlds her mind inhabits. Marty Noble has touched our lives in more ways than we can imagine. Seeing the world through a unique set of lenses Marty has the magical ability to transfer what she sees to almost any medium, inviting us into her world.
Here, for the first time, is the first collection of Marty Noble works, illustrated and colored by Marty. Painstakingly created, with the attention to detail that is her hallmark, we are able to make available limited editions of original creations by Marty to grace your walls and bring bright and beautiful joy to your home.