Cycles of Nature and Life

Newtonmore-based artist JEAN NOBLE seeks to create an aura of mystery and imagination in her paintings.

THE SERIES of paintings that make up Jean Noble’s Cycle of the Trees of Life, currently showing at Cairngorm Mountain, trace the cycle of life through the biology of both trees and human beings, and in the process affirm Jean’s deep spiritual beliefs and her conviction that the universe contains “a universality of patterns which repeat themselves on different scales with infinite variety.”

The principal inspiration for the series of 13 oil paintings lay in her discovery of the ancient Celtic calendar, which assigned a different tree to each of 13 lunar months. It was the final element in a process which began in an earlier painting.

“It really began with a large painting I did about four years ago,” she explained, “which I called The Four Seasons. That was basically an abstract, but shortly after that I began to draw and paint trees. Then someone told me about the medieval idea of foliate faces, where human faces are depicted covered in leaves, and I began to work with that idea when I painted a second version of The Four Seasons.

“Then I heard about this old Celtic calendar with 13 lunar months, each of which had a different tree assigned to it, and I have based the cycle of paintings in this exhibition on that concept.”

The paintings combine the biological cycle of the trees with the cycle of human life, from conception through childhood, adulthood, old age and death. The striking images embody Jean’s own belief in a continuity of life.

“I believe that after death there is some kind of renewal,” she confirmed. “If you are a Christian, you will see that in terms of resurrection. If you are a parent, you may see it through the next generation as your children and your grandchildren succeed you.

“In biological terms, new seeds grow from rotting compost, and life begins all over again. The paintings represent a cycle of life, and also a calendar of the year. The Celtic calendar links each lunar month to a particular tree, partly through correspondences in the sounds of the names, and partly in terms of the biological development of the tree. I take the viewer through the year and each of the seasons in the cycle of the tree, and at the same try I try to make the biological parallels with the human life cycle as well.”

“I’m not sure what school of thought or of painting it might fall into. I prefer to let people make up their own minds on that.”

The 13 paintings are augmented by supporting materials, including a folio of drawings and studies for the finished paintings, a second folio which illustrates some of the source materials she drew on in the evolution of these paintings, and some information on the artist herself. Jean is keen to have both adults and children experience her work, and to that end she has prepared a card game for children visiting the exhibition.

“Although the ideas behind the work may sound a little complex,” she declared, “I find that children respond to them very well, and I think the faces worked into the paintings — one of whom is my son — help in that respect. I find they tend to draw people into the paintings, and lead them into other details of the work. The game is called ZOOM, and I tried it out originally at an exhibition in Kingussie, where it was quite successful. There are 52 small cards, each with a tiny part of an image from the painting, and the kids then have to find that detail within the painting.

“It was designed for children of seven and above,” she added, “but kids down to as young as four have coped, with a wee bit of help from parents. It’s not just the kids who enjoy them, though — I’ve also seen a lady of 70 happily going round identifying them!”

Jean has always been interested in art, and trained at Grays School of Art in Aberdeen in the 1960s. She hails originally from Largs, and lived in Aberdeen before settling in Newtonmore with her family over 20 years ago.

“I did some painting after finishing at art school,” she explained, “but I had to set that aside when my children were growing up, and I feel I’ve only really returned to it in the last ten years or so.”

She is currently a full-time artist and tutor, and has exhibited her work in Kingussie, Inverness, the Borders and Edinburgh. She is drawn to a very individual mix of realism and imagination in her work that is strongly reflected in this exhibition.

“I’ve combined quite a bit of mythology into something of my own,” she admitted, “but I’m not sure what school of thought or of painting it might fall into. I prefer to let people make up their own minds on that.”

The Cycle of the Trees of Life exhibition will run at Cairngorm Mountain from 14 July until 30 September, 2004

© Kenny Mathieson, 2004