As a child, Josh Stevens loved going on adventures with his grandfather, Shirley Hazel, an avid photographer.

Mr Hazel loved taking photos of sunsets and the outdoors. Following after him, Mr Stevens developed a passion for nature.

“My grandfather always told me: ‘find time for the things you love’,” Mr Stevens remembered.

Recently, Mr Stevens did just that by walking away from a job as a chef to devote himself full-time to his passion for art.

The 32-year-old’s first solo show, Nobody’s Business, opened at the Bermuda Society of Arts at City Hall this month.

“I called the show Nobody’s Business because the name represented the theme I was going for — interior worlds and hidden stories,” Mr Stevens said. “I was always interested in storytelling with my art. I also wanted to create an element of deeper meaning.”

Most of the pieces were made during a year and a half of art classes at the Bermuda College taken with professors such as Edwin Smith, Michael Walsh and Sabrina Baker.

He was inspired by artists such as Jacob Lawrence and Pablo Picasso.

“I was taking inspiration from their work and then making it into my own,” Mr Stevens said. “It was an experimental stage for me. I was finding out what colours worked with what.”

He was a quiet, introspective child. Today, that introspective streak underpins his storytelling on canvas. He still carves out small pockets of time to create, in keeping with his grandfather’s philosophy, even if it is only for a few minutes.

Each painting comes with an intriguing little story.

Under a painting called Untold Stories: Behind Closed Doors he wrote: “In places where people gather, the quiet truths slip out first — in glances, in pauses in the way someone folds a newspaper to avoid being seen.”

It was only after taking part in the college’s annual art show that he decided to aim for a solo show.

The BSoA show was his first as a full-time artist.

He felt nervous and vulnerable at the opening but also excited to see people’s reactions to his work.

“It was a pivotal moment to have my story told and showcased,” he said. “There were other artists there. It was a positive experience and the work was well received. People were very supportive and wanted to know what I would do next.”

In his artist statement he revealed that he makes art about the rooms we grow up in, the ones we escape and the ones we carry with us long after we leave.

“My practice moves between painting mixed-media and narrative text but the heart of it is always the same,” he wrote. “I’m trying to give shape to the stories that were never spoken aloud.”

Mr Stevens said the show was the first chapter of a trilogy.

“This exhibition is not about telling everything,” he said. “It is about finally telling enough.”

Some people even came up to him to arrange commissions.

His family were thrilled for him.

“They have been really supportive,” Mr Stevens said. “They have seen the work develop.”

Mr Stevens believes his late grandfather would have been very proud.

“God gave me this artistic talent,” he said. “That is my biggest inspiration and support.”

He thanked his friends and family for their encouragement, and also the BSoA.

Of the new general manager, he said: “She has been an amazing supporter. Former gallery director Nzingha Ming was the one who got the foundation work going and introduced me to the gallery.”

The artist is now in England preparing to enter the fine arts programme at Brighton University.

Brighton’s vibrant arts scene was a major draw for him and he is looking forward to becoming a part of it.

“I want to continue on with the creative route, maybe as a professional artist or as a gallery director or something like that,” he said.

“What really drew me was more the creative expression here and also the history of the arts,” he said. “It’s a very unique scene where everyone who wants to try to creatively express themselves will be able to.”

While he hopes to make Brighton a kind of home base, he insists he will “definitely be back in Bermuda to continue with my art” and remain connected to the island that shaped him.

The BSoA has extended the run of the show until early August. Ms Trott is also working on getting prints made of Mr Stevens’ art so that a wider selection of people can afford to own his work.