ARTist: Josh Vyvyan
It’s been a while but we’re back with our latest artist series from Josh Vyvan. Josh is a Cornwall-based artist and illustrator whose distinctive hand-drawn work draws inspiration from the ocean, Celtic mythology and coastal landscapes. I’ve been friends with Josh for many years and have always admired his thoughtful and profound outlook on the creative process so was delighted to have him as our latest feature.
Over the course of a month-long sojourn, Josh frequented my house for dinners and numerous long chats about everything from surf nostalgia to ancient celtic rites of passage. We discussed the work of legendary Australian artist, Reg Mombasa and his contribution to surfing culture through his iconic artworks featured across Mambo’s clothing in the 90’s. We covered the cultural context of the area; great literary types like WB Yeats and Seamus Heaney. And Josh spoke of his deep connection to his Celtic roots, a familiarity with here and something that frequently features throughout his work.
From our point of view, the brief has always been quite simple; coffee and surfing. I think with that in mind, this artist series has been one of the most rewarding yet with Josh’s design, a tip of the hat to so many overlapping facets of our lived experience.
From Josh:
When I was walking around Ben Bulben exploring between surfs it seemed fitting to have a deeper dive into ‘Under Ben Bulben’ by Yeats, one of my favorite poets. ‘Back in the human mind again’ is a metaphor he uses to explain our mortality and how we transition to memory after we die. I feel as though the landscape holds the memory of the area and Ben Bulben is a beautiful and almost intimidating landscape that you view when you’re in the sea looking back at land. This may seem a little morbid but I find comfort in the metaphor and the reality that connects us all. The spirals were adapted from my visits to various Neolithic sites across Ireland starting at Newgrange and I love what they represent. The continuous spiral of life and death. I wanted to create a design that was eye-catching and also paid respect to the cultural and poetic history of the area. Whenever I’m traveling solo I find comfort in the human history of the area and it’s similarities to my home in Cornwall. The things that we share in common as humans are far greater than what holds us apart.
For more of Josh’s work visit @j.vyvyan.tattoo or @breadstreettattoo