Noel Paine graduated from the University of Wales in Cardiff with a BA (Hons) degree in Art and Aesthetics in 1994.
In 1993, Noel spent a year at the College of Charleston, South Carolina, where he was taught by Michael Tyscak. He obtained his MA in Fine Art from the University of Kent, Christ Church College, in 1997.
At Cardiff, although Noel did engage in painting, the course was conceptually focused, with an emphasis on theory over practice.
He spent three years discussing and developing ideas for his work.
After three years of exploring a single idea as the basis for an artwork, where the idea itself became the artwork, Noel felt that his practice needed something more to evolve.
Painting, with its long-established tradition, provided Noel with the greatest challenge.
What appeals most to him is the development of an idea through the medium of paint.
When painting in London prior to 2008, Noel had never intended to become a ‘Landscape Painter.’ His focus was purely on the medium of paint on a flat surface.
His work eventually found its place within the landscape of East London, where he discovered a space filled with contrasts.
Having grown up in London, Noel believes this familiarity with the landscape helped inform his process. He always felt a connection with the London environment, which fostered a sense of empathy.
As his paintings began to reflect the surrounding landscape, the transition felt entirely natural to him.
Noel never aimed to paint in a descriptive or narrative manner. A building, a rooftop, a graveyard, or a tree were chosen based on their visual qualities.
It was the colors and shapes of the urban London landscape that first captivated him. The challenge remained: “How could these visual sensations be translated onto a canvas in paint?”
After leaving London in 2008, Noel worked in Rome, choosing the city to explore the themes developed in his London paintings—merging the old and the modern—while staying close to nature within an urban environment.
In 2014, he moved to Vienna, seeking to consolidate his London and Italian experiences. Vienna provided an environment conducive to his working process. The city’s distinct seasons allowed Noel to explore the seasonal elements of his paintings. Surrounded by the Wienerwald, an unfamiliar yet intriguing landscape, Noel embraced the unknown quality it introduced to his work.