As a young man, Hubbard saw the industrial development in America as a threat to the natural world and he came to reject consumer culture.
The following year they built a shantyboat at Brent, Kentucky and traveled down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, ending their journey in the Louisiana bayous in 1951.
In 1951, Harlan and Anna built a simple home at Payne Hollow on the shore of the Ohio River in Trimble County, Kentucky.
Hubbard's art was largely pastoral, including oils, watercolors, and woodblock printing.
Hubbard bequeathed Payne Hollow to his friend and fellow artist Paul Hassfurder.