A remarkable artist living an off-grid life in her campervan is using her illustrations to encourage others to respect the ocean and campaign for a cleaner planet. Jasmine Hortop, a 32-year-old illustrator embarked on a nomadic lifestyle, travelling across the UK with her rescue dog, Darla, in the campervan that she and her father built during the Covid lockdowns.
Jasmine, whose partner resides in Italy, splits her time between the UK and mainland Europe, enjoying surfing and scubadiving in some of the world's best locations.
She left her rental in Bristol four years ago to embark on her travels, Jasmine has housesat in various locations, including France, Spain, and Mexico, before returning to the UK and purchasing her very own campervan. To transform it into a habitable space, she undertook the challenging task of gutting and rebuilding the interior, a feat she accomplished with her father's help during the lockdowns.
She said: "It used to be a Network Rail van so when I bought it, it was just full of Network Rail stuff.
“During lockdown, me and my dad had to rip it all out and build the whole thing from scratch, so it’s completely bespoke to what I need layout wise and energy consumption wise, and it enables me to just be completely off grid. I also run my whole business from it.”
Jasmine uses a lithium battery and solar panels on the roof to power her van and also has 100 literes of water, which lasts her from a week to 10 days.
A feature of her mobile home which she said was important to her is her permanent workspace, which she uses to create her art.
While Jasmine saves money by living in the campervan, she said the biggest perk of van life is the “freedom”.
She said: “I’ve lived in cities my whole life and I was desperate to get out. The feeling of being on the road and the freedom that comes with that.
“It’s a big thing to be able to be in nature and have that connection, to just wake up most days in nature or by the sea, I just love it.”
Her deep connection with the sea has fueled her passion for protecting it. She said: "Because I swim and surf, and am by the sea most days, I find it inspires a lot of my work, and I aim to use my artwork to drive positive change and work towards a more sustainable planet."
Jasmine's passion has seen her work on various mural projects around the world, including Mexico and India, which have allowed her to completely transform spaces and engage viewers in different ways.
In recognition of her impactful artwork, Jasmine's pieces have been included in a campaign by sustainable skincare brand SBTRCT. The illustrations depict a person swimming through plastic waste from travel-sized products, highlighting the harmful effects of plastic pollution on the environment. Jasmine shared, "I very much live an ocean-based lifestyle, and so much of my work is about water, so it really comes in aesthetically to my work as well."
To explore Jasmine's collaboration with sustainable skincare brand SBTRCT, visit www.sbtrct.co.uk, and for additional information about her work, visit www.jasminehortop.co.uk.
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