GET TO KNOW: JOSH STOVER

Josh Stover, Sunset View, Acrylic on panel with oak frame, 12.5 x 9.5"

View here.

Meet Josh Stover (he/him), an artist and sign painter based in Richmond, Virginia. Stover grew up in St. Petersburg, Florida and completed his BFA at the University of Florida with an emphasis on ceramics. He lived in Oregon for many years before recently relocating to Virginia. Josh and his wife Rachael run Variety Shop, a sign painting and design studio where they work on client projects. In his art practice, Stover primarily works in acrylic paint on panel, and colored pencil on paper. He likes depicting objects and still life scenes and is drawn to bold colors, graphic shapes and vintage design. He draws a lot of inspiration from his home environment where he collects antique and vintage objects that often appear in his work.

We asked Josh a handful of questions, coinciding with the group exhibition, In Tune, on view April 12th through May 24th, 2025 at James Oliver Gallery:

What are your earliest memories of artistic expression?

My earliest memory of artistic expression was looking through children's books as a child and trying to draw some of the illustrations from the books. I had a lot of illustrated books and I loved looking at the images and drawing inspiration from them, even before I was able to read the books. My favorite was called The Witch of Hissing Hill. I still have it on my bookshelf to this day, and when I was looking through it recently I can totally see the throughline from that illustration style (blocks of color and cut out graphic shapes) to my current work.

Josh Stover, Fallen Fruit #2, Acrylic on panel with walnut frame, 10.5 x 10.5" View here.

Can you trace any aesthetic influences on your current body of work?

Definitely childhood books, like I mentioned earlier, but there are other things as well! I started a sign painting business with my friend after college, and have been doing that since 2014. I spend a lot of time looking at vintage signs and graphic design to inform the work I do as a sign painter, and I think a lot of elements from that have found their way into my art. I often include lettering in my paintings, but also a lot of the shapes I use are a nod to signs. I often include strong diagonal drop shadows, which are inspired by the drop shadows you see on letters from old signs. The way I divide the space and plan out my pieces stems from a design background. I like symmetry, diagonal lines, repetition and hierarchy which are tools I use when I'm doing design work for clients. The imagery I paint (furniture, objects and environments) are influenced by my personal collections and my interest in interior design and vintage.

Josh Stover, Window Seat, Acrylic on panel with oak frame, 20.5 x 20.5" View here.

How would you describe your current physical artistic process, and the route that carried you here?

The physical processes I use when I create work are fun and playful to me. I use a lot of tape and adhesive stencils when I make my paintings, and I use an array of plastic stencils when I make colored pencil drawings. Both of those are pretty limiting, so it creates a situation where I have to look at the tools I have and the image I want to make, and figure out how to build up that image using tape, straight lines, and stencils. It's a fun process to me and I like the way it forces me to abstract or simplify images.

What compels you toward your imagery and palette?

I generally paint objects that I have collected in my home, or things that I have seen online and saved, but don't own. I am drawn to art deco, mid-century and folk art objects in my personal collection, and those items happen to lend themselves well to my painting and drawing practice because of their simple, sometimes angular shapes. My palette is pretty limited and I very rarely mix colors. I have a red that I use, several greens, a couple pinks, and I don't usually stray from that palette. I buy all of my paint pre-mixed and have made a palette that is a combination of vibrant, muted, light and dark colors so they work well together. I think I am drawn to colors you would find in vintage decor and vintage signs.

Josh Stover, Sitting Room, Acrylic on panel with oak frame, 16.5 x 20.5" View here.

Is there any part of your practice you find especially satiating? Alternatively, is there any part perplexing, or even grating?

I love doing the shading part of my paintings. I use foam brushes to "stipple" the shading on and it is really fun. The part that I find grating is when the painting is finished, but I have to paint a clear coat over it, and then make the frames. That part is boring to me compared to creating the painting, but I do it because I love the way the pieces look when they are framed.

Josh Stover, Dinner Party, Acrylic on panel with walnut frame, 18.5 x 24.5" View here.

How do you imagine your dynamic between audiences and your shared perspective; do you imagine the function of the viewer in your artwork?

I think about the viewer as almost stumbling upon a scene after something just happened. Like maybe they entered a room right after someone left. Because my work doesn't have people in it, I imagine the viewer as part of the work in a way.

Which piece are you most excited to share with “In Tune”?

My favorite piece is the shopping basket with grapefruit in it. I love the repetition of it, and the diagonal lines and negative space. I think it's the most bold and eye-catching of my pieces in the group show.

Josh Stover, Shopping Basket With Grapefruit, Acrylic on panel with walnut frame, 18.5 x 24.5" View here.

View all available works by Josh Stover at James Oliver Gallery in the In Tune Catalogue below. Read more about the 2025 Spring Exhibition.

"In Tune" Catalogue

Read the Press Release