Revisited: Crossing Oceans with Julia Noble

There is a unique privilege in watching an artist’s journey not just through their CV, but through the lens of a long-standing friendship. Julia and I have known each other for many years, and our shared history makes viewing her art deeply personal.

I still vividly remember attending her degree show in London and I have followed her work with a mix of fascination and pride ever since. As both a friend and a close observer, seeing her art develop and watching her grow as an artist has been an extraordinary experience.

When Julia moved from the grey, familiar streets of London to the bright, botanical hills of San Francisco in 2023, I was eager to see how the move to a new country would seep into her canvas. In this interview, we discuss the practical hurdles of moving continents with just a couple of suitcases, a notepad and pens, the ‘emotional rollercoaster’ of the US art fair circuit, and how the lush, exotic foliage of California (and a few formative trips to South America) has transformed her palette from the geometric to the organic.

When you moved to the USA, what felt most exciting and what was the most difficult part about settling in as an artist?

We moved here from London in May 2023 and I had already arranged to do two art fairs in San Francisco because I knew that I needed to find a way to meet other artists, find a way to keep myself occupied and have something to aim for. The prospect of showing my art in another place, in a different market was exciting and motivating.

The trickiest part initially was the fact that when you move, you’re often in short-term accommodation with a couple of suitcases, so I didn’t have any art materials or tools with me, specifically my sewing machine. I had plenty of time on my hands to make stuff so I started doing embroidered pieces which were very time consuming and easily transportable, I could put them in a bag and move them from place to place while we got settled.

Have you noticed any surprising changes in your studio habits since moving from the UK?

Not really, I’ve still got my sewing machine, and I still work in my kitchen or garden if I can, which I did in London. I just have to be more careful not to mess the floors up in our rented apartment! Trying to find the right materials was also a challenge. I’ve found supplies are much more expensive in the States and even though there are some art shops here they don’t always stock some of the larger things I need like big frames and gallon pots of resin. It has taken a little while to work this out and the logistics of getting supplies in time.

Since moving, your paintings seem to have become more organic, featuring plants and lush foliage, Has San Francisco life seeped into your work in unexpected ways?

When I first moved here, I did an awful lot of walking around neighborhoods, just trying to get to know the city. I was quite blown away by how many beautiful flower beds there are in public spaces, with exotic plants, so that really influenced the work that I did. In the UK my foliage works were inspired by trips abroad and during lockdown I was trying to transport myself to exotic places or to escape the grey of winter whereas here the colours are naturally bright and the sky is often blue so I’m not having imagine them.

“In some ways my paintings are now more representational”

You’ve travelled a lot in South America - has that influenced your work at all?

I don’t use a sketchbook generally, but I took one with me when we travelled and every day or two I tried to do a drawing. I just had felt tips and crayons, and I often drew things which were of the place, like a plant or the scenery, which I’ve never really done before. Subconsciously, I think that habit influenced my work here beyond the geometric images that I have been doing.

Are there any pieces that you feel could only have been made because of your new environment?

I’ve got one piece that is a painting of a Birds of Paradise that I saw as I was walking around San Francisco, the plants just grow everywhere here. We did a trip to Costa Rica which was so lush and colorful and lead to a body of work and a trip to Palm Springs which resulted painting my versions of Cacti. I‘m aware I’ve been using a lot more green which I think is a difficult colour - I’m trying to recreate the vibrancy of the flowers and the density of the foliage.

Has being in the US changed your process at all?

Certain things have changed for practical reasons. My favorite thing is to make really big work but if I’m doing an art fair in New York, how do I transport that there? What is the cost of transporting that there? So, it’s made me work differently from that perspective, in terms of logistics, what people can afford, what size houses they have and what they’re likely to buy. Art Fairs have definitely had an impact on the dimensions of my work.

How did you find your creative tribe in San Francisco? Did it take long to feel at home in the local art scene?

Art Fairs are where I’ve met most of my art tribe – I have met some really nice people and there are a few who have also exhibited in the same fairs as in in New York, Miami, LA and Mexico. There is something very bonding about spending four very intense days next to the same people. What is really beautiful about it as well is that in artist led art fairs it’s not so much a competition, if somebody else makes a sale, you’re very happy for them. It’s a really nice energy.

Do you feel your work is received differently in the USA, and does that affect how you show or present it?

I would say that every city here is different. I’ve sold most work in New York, but I’ve sold bigger pieces in other places, in LA and San Francisco. Miami’s where I’ve sold the least and I just think that’s because people have different values and aesthetics in different places. It’s such a big country and every state has own identity.

Have you come across any collaborations or opportunities here that you wouldn’t have imagined before moving?

I think my participation in the ‘Work in Progress’ exhibition this year in Mexico City during the city’s art week, which was more of an artist residency than a typical art fair, came about because of my activity here. I often get emails asking me to participate in an exhibition and I think that’s from having done a whole load of art fairs, so people then start reaching out.

“I think if I’d just been in the UK, these opportunities wouldn’t have arisen.”

Do you ever miss the London art scene or has San Francisco inspired a completely new rhythm for your work?

I do. I used to get a lot of energy and ideas from going and seeing exhibitions and going to the galleries in the UK. There isn’t as much happening here - if you go to MoMA, it has the same exhibition on for maybe five months so there’s not a whole load of new, exciting, refreshing stuff to go and inspire you. I can’t remember the last time I went to see something when I thought, ‘Oh my God, I just love that idea!’ so I do miss all that.

What are some of the highlights of the last two years and some of the lows?

I’ve had some really good experiences at art fairs, when you stand there and things are just flying off the wall, that is a really lovely exhilarating experience, which was New York last year. But having the opportunity to exhibit in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Mexico City - it’s been very exciting.

At the same time, art fairs are emotional rollercoasters because you sell something and then it all goes quiet for a bit and you just think, ‘Oh, does nobody like my work?’, ‘Does nobody want to talk to me? That is quite hard work, it’s you and your soul on the wall.

“Even if you sell nothing, but you’ve met a whole load of people for your network, then that’s a win anyway, isn’t it?”

If you could go back in time to before your move and give yourself some advice, what would it be? The good and the bad!

Oh, I’m not sure I’d change much, to be honest. I think that I’ve always been prepared to put myself out there. I think the hard thing is there’s a lot of travelling so maybe I would make more effort not to travel so much, but then that’s half the point of being here!

So looking ahead, how do you see your work evolving personally and artistically? Are there any projects or exhibitions you’re excited about?

Well, I’ve just done the Superfair show here in San Francisco which went really well, I was excited to get some new work out and see how people respond. Then I’ve got another one in May in New York. I think for me, it’s always making sure that there’s something to keep myself moving towards in the future, to explore new ideas to keep the making fresh and exciting for myself.

“I get bored making the same thing over and over so I’m always trying to switch things up, think how I can develop an idea”

Any trips lined up that might create some inspiration?

I am trying to organise a trip to Hawaii for my birthday in a couple of months which is a big one! I can only imagine what a lush, gorgeous place that will be and what it might lead to creatively.

We can’t wait to see what the Hawaiian tropics do to Julia’s palette later this year!

CONTACT

Where can people see and buy your work?

I put all my new work onto Carhart it’s a female led start up for artists and galleries, people can buy art directly and it manages my inventory and deals with shipping too! https://www.cohart.com/julianoble/profile

Instagram: @jujunoble

Website: www.noblejulia.com

Email: Noblejulia@me.com