Although he also painted portraits and landscapes, much of Gribble's artistic production was concerned with the drama and excitement of ships and sailors on the high seas or at port, whether as historical tableaux or representing contemporary events and subjects.

Others compared his paintings to the fine marine vistas of the late 19th-century seascape artist, Henry Moore, acknowledging Gribble's skill in the accurate portrayal of costume and technical detail and his ability to convey an authentic period atmosphere.

[6][7][3] In his preparatory sketches of ships, Gribble made notes on the precise structure and names of sails, masts, and rigging.

He had studied the movement of water closely, and made highly technical analyses of the construction of rigging and sails to a level where it naturally informed his naval subjects.

The evident quality of Gribble's marine pictures lies in the artist's mastery of the oil painting medium adapted to a profound understanding of his chosen subject.

[1] He provided the illustrations for the last of Arthur Conan Doyle's pirate stories, 'The Blighting of Sharkey', which was published in Pearson's Magazine in April 1911.

[15] Other notable purchasers of Gribble paintings included Queen Mary, the German Kaiser (before the war), and Jackie Onassis.

After her husband's death Nellie Gribble donated many of his works to Poole Museum, which now possesses the world's largest collection of his paintings.

Typical paintings in the Poole collection are The Plague Ship, The Whelp of the Black Rover and The Return of the Argosy Galleons, but there are also some local topographical works such as depictions of the Guildhall, the Custom House, views of the Quay and harbour, a portrait of former Mayor of Poole, Herbert Carter, in civic regalia, and one of a woman believed to be Gribble's wife Nellie.