Hi there! Thanks so much for taking the time to meet me.
I’m Noemi Altubo, but my artistic name is Noemi Mare — a name I’ve been using since I was little and never quite managed to leave behind, hahaha! When I was a kid, I was completely obsessed with anything and everything to do with the sea. That’s why I chose this lovely Italian word — mare, which means sea. I just love how it sounds!
I was really lucky to be able to spend my childhood summers in Menorca and Formentera. It was such a special time! The coast was still wild and the roads were unpaved. I started snorkelling when I was just six years old, riding on my dad’s back and diving together. He showed me this amazing world full of incredible creatures and stunning underwater landscapes — it was such a treat! After the summer was over, we had to go back home to an inland city in Spain, which was a long way from the sea. My mum missed the sea so much that she decorated the house with marine motifs. Every corner was full of sea-themed items. She even painted many sea landscapes, so my house was full of salt and art. The sea was never really far away.
These days, my most treasured belongings are still my diving goggles and my paintbrushes.
That love for handcrafted detail led me to work in prop and set making for Aardman stop-motion productions — yes, the Wallace & Gromit people. I wasn’t making the puppets, but I got to work right alongside them, building the tiny worlds they live in. And yes, I did get to meet a few famous faces along the way. That experience confirmed something I already knew: that small, handmade things carry a kind of magic that no digital tool can replicate. It’s the same magic I try to bring to every illustration and every art doll I make.
For mermaids and sea wolves yearning to keep the ocean close — just as my family always did — I create illustrations and handcrafted objects full of genuine stories, magic and childhood adventures. My hope is that they bring a little bit of that marine sanctuary into your home, and invite you to dive into a fantasy sea world of your own.
I hope you feel at home here.
Welcome on board!