About

I, Josh Wills, entered the earthly portal in the year 1980 at the access point known as Wilmington, Delaware, the first state created in the good ol' US of A. By the time I reached 8th grade, I had lived in the wonderful states of Georgia, Illinois, California, New Jersey, and Maryland. Achieving a taste of the north, south, midwest, and the west coast and meeting all of the country's finest folk. Upon my return to the west coast in 8th grade, my family decided to bury their feet in the sand for a while and enjoy the amazing climate Southern California had to offer. Thanks Mom & Dad:) While my older siblings were out on their life journeys, me and the rents got some serious beach time in and planted my seeds of passion for the oceans and the mountains, thus beginning my surf & snowboard journey in life.

At a young age my focus was on the core sports of basketball, baseball, and football. The ocean and mountain activities made their way into my life when I fell into the culture and industry that was surrounding me. Surfing, snowboarding, and skating were exploding and it was a scene I wanted to be a part of. Then, with a push from my sister, she got me an internship with the punky fresh surf/skate/snow company Volcom. I was no ripper, but I got to interact with some of my favorite athletes and artists and see who they were in the flesh. Surfing, snowboarding, skating, and art seemed to all fit together, and this is where my interest in creating art began.

I had drawn my whole life and attended Catholic school all the way up through high school. I always found myself zoning out in church, staring at stained glass windows and thinking about how wild the stories in the bible were. Little did I know, those black lines holding those stained glass windows together were seeping into my brain and making an impression. 

Then I saw my first Jamie Lynn piece on a snowboard, my first Drew Brophy piece on a surfboard, and my first Shawn 'Barney' Barron piece of art in the Volcom warehouse. I was captured. Black lines holding everything together with style and finesse. I had to make my own. I went on to work at Paul Frank Industries and got to meet Paul Frank, Andy Davis and Thomas Cambell (all legends in the local art scene) adding more inspiration into the tank and an urge to get more on canvas. 

 

I hope that my bright colors and black lines can brighten the day or even bring light into dark places and inspire those ahead of us to get creative and enjoy the colors of this planet.