INSPIRED BY THE COAST
Travelling the world inspired landscape designer Josh Hibberd to start painting and drawing, returning to his home on the Isle of Wight with a new perspective and a clear sense of purpose about the future
Travelling the world gave driftwood artist Josh Hibberd a new appreciation for his island home
‘We are a three-minute walk from the beach and we can hear the waves on the shore from our house. It’s one of my favourite sounds,’ says driftwood artist, Josh Hibberd, who lives on the Isle of Wight, where he grew up. He and his girlfriend Emily spent six months travelling around the Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, Bali and Vietnam in 2019. He returned to see his home in a whole new light. ‘I realise that where we live is as special as some of the amazing corners of the world we explored,’ he says.
Josh splits his time between being a landscape designer and gardener, and being a driftwood artist. He studied landscape design at university
‘I’ve always loved the outdoors and island life, and being in and by the sea. It provides me with so much inspiration for my paintings’
and started his own gardening business about eight years ago. However, it was while travelling that Josh started to sketch and create watercolours of the seascapes and landscapes that he saw. ‘Back home, I started to experiment with my painting, collecting driftwood from local beaches, cleaning it, and learning different techniques,’ he explains. ‘Now I use both driftwood and canvas backdrops for my work.’
Josh’s house and studio are both in Freshwater Bay on the west of the island, which has crystal clear waters in summer. ‘I’ve always loved the outdoors and island life, and being in and by the sea – surfing, paddleboarding and wakeboarding all year round. It provides me with so much inspiration for my paintings. I will never tire of the island’s rolling coastline,’ Josh says. ‘It’s a great spot for collecting driftwood too, which washes up in autumn and winter, especially after storms.’
He paints from his photos of coastal scenes. ‘I love shooting the island’s impressive seascapes, from surf shots to epic sunrises, sunsets and iconic island landmarks’ he says. ‘I also enjoy seeing the island from different perspectives, whether out at sea on the rib or from above through drone shots.’
Drone imagery has inspired his latest collection, called Aerial Shores, which was conceived on a coastal walk from Freshwater Bay to Compton Bay. ‘The high cliffs and top-down view of the crashing waves made me want to explore painting from a bird’s eye view,’ explains Josh.
As his profile increases, Josh hopes to become a full-time artist. ‘I’ve found my perfect life balance: living by the sea and painting.’
‘I will never tire of the island’s rolling coastline’