JOSHUA MILES

Joshua Miles (b. 1967) is a landscape artist who grew up in the Western Cape in South Africa. 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 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 seeing his aunt Elsa Miles’s woodcuts and later studying under Cecil Skotnes 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 found mostly 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 Scotland. They work together in the business of selling Joshua’s art and have a home with studio in both countries.

EDUCATION

1989 – 1992 Michaelis School of Fine Art, University of Cape Town.  

AWARDS

1991 - Michaelis most promising student prize.

1992 - Michaelis School of Fine Arts Prize. Judy Steinberg Prize.

2022 - The Boodle Hatfield Prize, Woolwich Contempruary Print Fair.

2023 - Selected for The Scottish Portrait Awards. Two works selected for The Scottish Landscape Awards exhibition. Selected for The Scottish Prize for Fine Art.

2025 - Shortlisted for The Scottish Landscape awards

EXHIBITIONS

He is a prolific worker and as a result has exhibited extensively in group and solo exhibitions in prestigious galleries such as the National Gallery in Edinburgh and Mall Galleries in London.