Joshua Miles

Joshua Miles was born in the Western Cape in South Africa in 1967.
He studied fine arts at the Michaelis School of Fine Art at the University of Cape Town where he received the Michaelis Prize for best student in his final year.

Joshua is one of those rare artists who has managed to to make a living solely from his art. He spent many years painting oils on canvas but his passion has always been with reduction block printmaking.

Joshua’s influences in printmaking started at a young age watching his aunt Elsa Miles, artist and art historian, doing woodcuts and later studying under Cecil Scotness at UCT. He is inspired by the play of light on the landscape which leads him to explore his local areas. He is always hunting qualities of light that evoke emotion. This is often the softer light that brings out the in between tones and greys most would miss. This love of capturing the play of light is also found in reflections on water or objects. He is also inspired by the impressionist style of loose mark making and the Japanese tradition of printmaking.

After finishing at UCT Joshua moved to Hermanus where he met his Scottish wife Angela. They have been married more than 20 years and they have over the years lived and worked between South Africa and Kirkcudbright, Scotland. They work together in the business of selling Joshua’s art and have a home with studio in both countries.

Joshua is a prolific worker and has exhibited extensively in groups and solo exhibitions and as a result he has work in private homes and collections not only in his two home countries but also internationally in America, Australia, France, Italy and Germany to name a few.

Joshua has received many awards over his career, more recently being selected for the Scottish Portrait Awards (long list), shortlisted for The Scottish Landscape Awards exhibition, as well as being selected for The Scottish Prize for Fine Art.