Noble artwork stolen, reward offered

Artist Brad Noble is offering a reward for information leading to the recovery of 15 paintings stolen from his 3508 E. Division St. studio.

Noble said he’s offering a $1,000 reward for information on the goods valued as high as $100,000. The figure would be that high if stolen unfinished pieces were finished, damaged ones were restored and they were sold in a gallery. The artwork in his studio was not insured.

“I was cleaned out,” Noble said via Facebook Messenger. “As well as art, they stole a very valuable easel built by one of my teachers, sketchbooks and portfolios of slides and transparencies, lights, vacuums, speakers, art supplies, tools, etc.”

Lisa Cox, public affairs officer for the Springfield Police Department, said the incident was reported Aug 1. She declined to provide further details on the ongoing investigation.

Noble splits his time between Springfield, London and Barcelona, so he was out of town at the time of the theft.

In addition to some new exploratory pieces and a number of unfinished or damaged paintings, Noble said one of the missing pieces is the third piece he painted from the mid-1990s.