{"id":18330,"title":"Turning Washed Up Wood Into Art","description":"Exploring the beaches near his home here on the Isle of Wight, Josh Hibberd brings driftwood back to life and turns them into art. We shoot the breeze with him on a local beach as he works on a new piece.","content":"

The fallen tree we\u2019re sitting on has long had its bark removed by the lapping waves of the Solent. The sun and salt has bleached the exposed wood, turning it almost white. The tree may be long dead, but it\u2019s beautiful. It wouldn\u2019t be out of place as a sculpture in a modern art gallery.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>

Exploring the beaches near his home here on the Isle of Wight, Josh Hibberd goes further than most when\u00a0spotting nice pieces of driftwood. He brings them back to life and turns it into art.<\/p>

Where others see waste, Josh sees opportunity. He paints coastal scenes inspired by his surroundings onto the material he finds to create unique pieces of art. We shoot the breeze with him on a local beach as he works on a new piece.\u00a0


\"\"Josh paints on an Isle of Wight beach<\/em><\/p>


\u201cI get weirdly excited by finding bits of wood. I spot something and think immediately of what I can so with it. The art starts there,\u201d he says as the turquoise water washes over his feet.\u00a0<\/p>

Each time he goes to the beach, there\u2019s no way of knowing whether he\u2019ll come back with anything useful. What he does find becomes the canvas for his paintings. The worn wood has a say in the creative process, it offers something that a canvas can\u2019t.\u00a0<\/p>

\u201cWhat I struggled with originally with a normal canvas, was the very fact it was a blank canvas. It\u2019s quite sterile. Driftwood offers something instantly. You can play off the different textures, depths and the grain. That determines where I\u2019ll take it as a painting. I leave parts of the wood unpainted so the wood looks like the beach. The wood is literally part of the art.\u201d<\/p>

Listening to him speak, it becomes clear that the best way to depict natural scenes is to use natural materials.<\/p>

\"\"
Finding a natural canvas<\/em><\/p>

\"\"
Working with the textures of the wood<\/em><\/p>

\"\"

Josh explains Island life makes him closer to nature, a connection that has become a part of his identity.<\/p>

The coastal environment marks the boundary of what we control and what we don't. On an Island, we see in every direction the ocean is part of a connected system. A system we are a part of. Perhaps that\u2019s why Island communities worldwide are particularly conscious of their impact on the natural world, in tune with the changes and challenges of our planet. Josh nods.<\/p>

\u201cI feel disconnected if I don\u2019t see a bit of the sea during the week,\u201d he says looking over the Solent. \u201cLiving on an Island, you appreciate what you have a lot more. It's finite. You see plastic floating around and washed up on the beach. We talk a lot about plastics, but it\u2019s even stuff like coastal erosion accelerating\u00a0 due to rising sea levels. Some of the beaches I used to love going to myself, I notice them change and think \u2018where are they going to end up?\u201d\u2019<\/p>

\"\"
A canvas version<\/em>

\"\"Taking inspiration from the environment<\/em><\/p>

When people started buying his art, Josh realised he was onto something different. A different approach seemed to resonate more and that gave people a chance to tap into something we all have in common. His art can be found in homes far from the sea, bringing a piece of the coast to their homes.<\/p>

\u201cPrimarily the people who buy my work are people who have had experiences here or love the seaside, but live far from the coast and don\u2019t see the sea. Everyone\u2019s got a yearning inside of them for that connection,\u201d Josh says, \u201cthat\u2019s where the driftwood plays its part, it makes the connection real.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>

\"\"Josh wears the Octopus t-shirt<\/a><\/u><\/em><\/p>

The journey the material takes is part of the story that fascinates him.\u00a0<\/p>

\u201cI find bits of driftwood that have stamps on them from all over the world from Asia to America to Antarctica. It can come from a long time ago or really far away, from fishing boats or trawlers or trees anywhere in the world and any time in the past.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>

The journey of the driftwood that finds its way to shore had a story of its own. Though it doesn\u2019t end there. Josh\u2019s paintings give them a new life and purpose, a new chapter as one creative step in a natural flow. As a natural canvas, once they\u2019ve served their purpose they\u2019ll once again break down to continue their journey in the cycle. Natural, and back to nature.\u00a0<\/p>

Sign up to our newsletter<\/a><\/u> for more stories from our community.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>

You can explore Josh\u2019s artwork on his website<\/a><\/u> and instagram<\/a><\/u><\/p>","urlTitle":"turning-washed-up-wood-into-art","url":"\/blog\/turning-washed-up-wood-into-art\/","editListUrl":"\/my-blogs","editUrl":"\/my-blogs\/edit\/turning-washed-up-wood-into-art\/","fullUrl":"https:\/\/rapanuiclothing.com\/blog\/turning-washed-up-wood-into-art\/","featured":false,"published":true,"showOnSitemap":true,"hidden":false,"visibility":null,"createdAt":1654872645,"updatedAt":1654891578,"publishedAt":1654891578,"lastReadAt":null,"division":{"id":14,"name":"Rapanui"},"tags":[],"metaImage":{"original":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/2kvcdjwpdha0t7mazzpho1qjf3qefi4pc8ytpnkuijm3pqvx.jpeg","thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/2kvcdjwpdha0t7mazzpho1qjf3qefi4pc8ytpnkuijm3pqvx.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/2kvcdjwpdha0t7mazzpho1qjf3qefi4pc8ytpnkuijm3pqvx.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"metaTitle":"Turning Driftwood Into Art - The Driftwood Artist","metaDescription":"Josh Hibberd brings driftwood back to life and turns them into art. We shoot the breeze with him on a local beach as he works on a new piece.","keyPhraseCampaignId":87,"series":[],"similarReads":[{"id":50034,"title":"The Ocean\u2019s Acid Test, and We\u2019re Failing","url":"\/blog\/the-oceans-acid-test-were-failing\/","urlTitle":"the-oceans-acid-test-were-failing","division":14,"description":"The health of the ocean is changing faster than we realised \u2014 and not just at the surface. A new study has found that ocean acidification, often called the \u201cevil twin\u201d of the climate crisis, has already crossed a critical threshold for planetary health. Scientists now say we\u2019re \u201crunning out of time\u201d to protect marine ecosystems \u2014 with the deepest parts of the ocean showing the most dramatic signs of change","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/ayfiuiy3gaciyslsgus1rsypzigfku0vcrjytk9dgr2k8tts.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/ayfiuiy3gaciyslsgus1rsypzigfku0vcrjytk9dgr2k8tts.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":30884,"title":"7 beautiful beaches among the most polluted in England","url":"\/blog\/7-beautiful-beaches-among-the-most-polluted-in-england\/","urlTitle":"7-beautiful-beaches-among-the-most-polluted-in-england","division":14,"description":"We took a look at the beaches and asked some of the locals to hear what is being done to turn the tide on the pollution on their shores.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/wshahgi5pbawf9apovg3zhc3h5llefskn7bsh2mgxmnetdjq.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/wshahgi5pbawf9apovg3zhc3h5llefskn7bsh2mgxmnetdjq.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":46767,"title":"Rolling with Purpose: Hamish's Vision for an Island Skate Haven","url":"\/blog\/rolling-with-purpose-hamish-flemmings-vision-for-an-island-skate-haven\/","urlTitle":"rolling-with-purpose-hamish-flemmings-vision-for-an-island-skate-haven","division":14,"description":"Change happens when people take action. Canopy Skatepark, founded by Hamish Fleming, is more than a place to skate - it\u2019s a blueprint for how we can build spaces that support people, strengthen communities, and work with nature.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/ch3mn9xtoi2gxdobepcknxojmd1znqtvzox0krsuvfoqrlsl.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855&z=1.2&fx=0.49613995525519&fy=0.47274355357755","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/ch3mn9xtoi2gxdobepcknxojmd1znqtvzox0krsuvfoqrlsl.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440&z=1.2&fx=0.49613995525519&fy=0.47274355357755"},"hidden":0}],"labels":{"monitorCheckExcluded":"1"}}