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Naomi McBride
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Northern Ireland's foremost muralist, Naomi McBride first studied at the Central School of Art in London before receiving an Honor Degree in Art History from the University of East Anglia.
Naomi divides her time between an idyllic cottage in the wild and dramatic countryside of western Ireland, and her home in the quiet leafy suburbs of Belfast where she has her main studio. She works from her cozy studio by the side of her house, where her constant companions, two cats, slumber peacefully beside her.
Her inspirations are many and varied, from classical Greece and Rome through the Italian Renaissance, European, Indian and New World influences to Art Nouveau, Art Deco and modern-day Pop. Naomi moves easily from one style to another. She is equally facile in her ability to move from the minute detail of wildlife illustration to the vastness of a large-scale mural. Of particular delight are her works of trompe l'oeil- vivid and highly realistic renderings of subjects such as her grapes on stone slabs with parchment labels curled with age.
Particularly inspiring were Naomi's travels throughout the world, especially in Central Asia and Outer Mongolia, where she felt her sense of color and pattern was greatly enriched.
In her hometown of Belfast, Naomi oversees a team of painters who execute a wide range of commissions. She has been commissioned by The National Trust of Great Britain, The British Broadcasting Corporation in northern Ireland, the Irish Governments Environmental Service and Scottish Heritage, for whom she created a historic mural, which can be seen in the Scottish Crown jewels permanent exhibit at Edinburgh Castle.
When not painting, traveling or tending to her flower garden, Naomi's great love is to welcome friends round a table filled with dishes prepared with her husband's organic vegetables and the best of Ireland's produce, and enjoy the company of others.
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