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The contemporary art of L. Noel Harvey encompasses
painting, printmaking, jewelry design, and metal work. She
resides in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where her family has lived
for generations.
Noel’s great, great grandfather was Fred Harvey, the
influential Western entrepreneur known for his dedication
to the arts, as well as hotels and restaurants along the
Santa Fe Railroad. This inherent pioneering spirit has served
as inspiration for Noel’s extensive travels as she
pursues the never ending quest of self discovery and its
manifestation in art.
Some of her travels include Australia, Austria, Argentina,
Belgium, Botswana, Canada, Costa Rica, Denmark, Egypt,
England,
France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Hong Kong, India, Italy,
Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, Morocco, Namibia,
New Zealand,
Singapore, South Africa, the former Soviet Union, Spain,
Switzerland, Tahiti, Taiwan, Tanzania, Turkey, Uruguay,
Venezuela,
and the former Yugoslavia.
Other journeys of study include the National Outdoor Leadership
School (NOLS—Prince William Sound), Outward Bound
(Hurricane Island), and Semester at Sea. Noel also has a
background in technical theatre and design. She has worked
in a variety of theatres including the Santa Fe Preparatory
School, the Madeira School, Greer Garson Theatre, Santa
Fe Playhouse, Willamette University, and the King’s
Head Theatre in London.
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Noel has exhibited her work in Boston, Caracas (Venezuela),
Los Angeles, New York City, the San Francisco Bay Area,
Santa Fe, and Washington, D.C. In addition, her work has
appeared in numerous publications, both domestically and
abroad.
Noel has completed residencies with Manuel Neri, Judy Pfaff,
Michael Wright, and Roberto Marquez, all at the Santa Fe
Art Institute, where she later served as Assistant Director.
Perhaps one of the most inspiring artistic experiences Noel
has had was the painting fellowship she was awarded at The
Julia and David White Artists' Colony in Costa Rica.
She later edited and published a book, “Spread My Soul,”
which celebrates the writings of the late Julia White. The
poet's moving words and the relationships Noel forged along
her travels led to the project's inclusion of new work from
twenty-nine international visual artists.
Noel received her BFA from the California College of Arts
and Crafts in Oakland, California, majoring in Painting,
Printmaking and Metal Arts, graduating with distinction.
She continues to work at various studios throughout the
world and is also collaborating on a number of film and
theatrical projects. |
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"If you cannot get rid of
the family skeleton, you may as well make it dance."
-George Bernard Shaw
When I was a child, I could often be found looking
through microscopes and playing with paint. My
contact with my mother's art studio and
my father’s medical lab, naturally combined
the creativity of the art world with the detail
and precision of the medical world.
My father was a neuropathologist who was diagnosed
with, and later died of, bone cancer. He spent
most of his life investigating the disease and
experimenting on himself. For my father, dissecting
was a means by which to live, or to try to live
longer.
I have vivid memories of my childhood: the smells
of formaldehyde and turpentine, the mysterious
canisters of brains lining the shelves, the dozens
of brushes caked with paint, my mother’s
jean apron thick with excess color—as if
it could stand on its own, my father's hand
wrapped around the knife that sliced so easily
through damaged cells, my mother's hands
saturated with layers of dried clay–a different
kind of skin.
It was through this daily exposure to art and anatomy
that I learned how to use my own hands. I am profoundly
interested in the human body, both the external
and internal. I derive my artistic inspiration
from a body's innate magnificence and the
deformities that may lie beneath. The layers of
imperfection of the human body convey elements
of beauty and strength; the deeper emotional and
psychological connotations are what fascinate me
the most.
Art is my pathology. My studio is my laboratory...it
is the place where I can investigate, dissect,
experiment, and understand, my past, present and
future.
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