Brian Bertram studied art at the Julian Ashton Art School and the East Sydney Technical College before working as an artist, designer and chief of exhibitions at the Australian Museum in Sydney. He is first and foremost a sculptor working in a variety of media which have included wood, stone, steel, plastics and terracotta. Following the Museum, Brian worked freelance, making anything from a life-sized dinosaur to a 30,000x life-sized model of Euglena, a single-celled microscopic organism. Working with synthetic materials led into film and TV special effects and prosthetic makeup.
Later Brian moved to the bush and divided his time between working cattle, sculpting and bush regeneration. After a further move to the Northern Rivers area of New South Wales, he worked full-time in terracotta, making large figurative pieces, and publishing a manual on moulding and casting techniques. He has participated in many group exhibitions, including SWELL in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013 and 2020. He currently works mainly in wood and mixed media.
2021 SWELL ARTWORK – Leafy Seadragon, Brian Bertram
This sculpture is based on the tiny Sea Dragon, an inhabitant of cooler southern seas that is vulnerable to ocean warming.
The rather whimsical interactive kinetic sculpture explores scale as a factor of perception.
Instagram: #brianbertram
Come and see for yourself at SWELL Sculpture Festival, Pacific Parade, Currumbin 10-19 September.