A RT S & E N T E RTA I N M E N T
Everett Nautical artist Ben Morris examines the faux teak and white-gold leaf transom of the Gallant Lady in Wanchese.
in a place steeped in boatbuilding history, josh everett doesn’t just put the finishing touches on local sport fishing boats and world-class yachts – he gives them personality.
ART on the WATER photos by ryan moser story by lexi holian
A lifelong artist, Josh found his niche in marine graphic arts on the Outer Banks. He’s painted transoms with names like Waterman, Marlin Darlin and Dream Time, and crafted faux teak finishes for renowned boat builders including Spencer Yachts and Viking. And his ocean-centered artwork and gold leaf lettering aren’t just physically imposing, they’re also inspired by coastal life and this region’s maritime heritage. “I’m blessed to be doing what I’m doing,” says Josh, climbing off a boat in Wanchese after a typical 12-hour workday. “There’s such a rich community of boat builders here in North Carolina.” Josh started his company in 2007 while working as a builder at Bayliss Boatworks in Wanchese, but his passion for boats came about long before that. Raised mostly in the landlocked state of Colorado, he spent a few summers with his family in Martha’s Vineyard, and he was drawn to the water and the aesthetic of boats even then. “My father always told me, as a carpenter, that the highest level of achievement for a woodworker is to be building wood ships,” he says. “I remembered that.” After graduating high school in the 1990s, Josh traveled to St. Thomas, where he was first exposed to marine carpentry when he took a job as a shipwright. He went on to study art and design in college, and then spent a decade in New York City as a commercial artist and tattoo shop owner. But after September 11, 2001, he was ready to get out of the grind and return to the water. He wandered around a bit until ending up back on St. Thomas. Then an opportunity arose to work as part of a crew delivering a sailboat from St. Thomas to Annapolis – and when the True Love passed Newport News not far from the Outer Banks, he decided to hop off and catch a ride with a family friend down to the beach. During his first year on the Outer Banks, he rebuilt a house that he now calls his home and took a job from John Bayliss at Bayliss Boatworks. It was there that he met marine artist Robert Milfield, who regularly traveled from Florida to paint names on the Bayliss boat transoms.
continued> N O RT H B E ACH SU N | 53
