Arthur Thomas Noble

Well known and successful Taos artist, Arthur Thomas (Tom) Noble, III, 75, passed away unexpectedly at his home in El Prado, NM on February 22, 2017. Born on July 25, 1941 in Kansas City, MO to Arthur Thomas Noble, Jr. and Martha Jones Noble, Tom was a third generation Taoseno. After graduating from Taos High School, in 1959, he studied architecture, psychology, and art at the University of New Mexico, and later joined the Army, serving in West Germany as an illustrator and photographer. Tom returned to New Mexico in 1965 (Taos in 1970) and began his career as an artist. Early inspiration for his art came from childhood memories of painting with his mother, Martha, who was also an artist. His career as a prolific and successful artist spanned over 50 years. Through his use of strong and vibrant color, simplified design, and scenes from Taos and Northern New Mexico, Tom’s distinctive style is easily recognizable. He received numerous awards for his work, including the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Art in 2010. He once said, “I was born to be an artist.” Noble was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, Kathleen Noble of Taos and his step-mother, Anne Massie Noble of Memphis, TN. He leaves two sons, Paxton Noble and Aidan Shaffer, both of Taos; siblings, John Massie Noble (Nancie) of Taos, and Elizabeth Noble Campbell (Hunt) of Memphis, TN; nephew, Jed Noble (Shelli) of Taos, nieces, Dr. Elizabeth Campbell Granieri (Michael) of Durham, NC and Martha Campbell Robertson (Terry) of Memphis. Family and friends gathered at Wilder Nightingale Fine Art in Taos for a visitation and celebration of His Life on Wednesday, March 08, 2017. Burial will take place at a later date at the Santa Fe National Cemetery.