CHARLIE TRIVERS
Charlie Trivers is an Australian sculptor who lives and works on the Central Coast north of Sydney, NSW. He has a Master of Fine Arts Degree from UNSW College of Fine Arts Sydney. His sculpture practice spans over 35 years and he is a member of the Sculpture by the Sea Bondi Decade Club. Trivers was awarded the Kodak Sculpture Prize in 2004 for his sculpture ‘Fishbottle Quartet’. He has exhibited in over 100 group exhibitions, including the 10th Kajima Sculpture Competition in Tokyo and Osaka in 2007, as well as the Toyamura International Sculpture Biennale in Hokkaido Japan, 2004. Throughout his career, Trivers has explored various themes and worked with a variety of materials and scales. His art shows a keen interest in the natural coastal environment. He delivers a societal commentary on the impact of humans on the planet, using humour as an unexpected device for communication.
A morning on the beach
‘A morning on the Beach’ is a sculpture that originates from a small story of an experience sitting on the beach one morning in September 2022. From this story emerged an automatic drawing capturing the essence of the experience. The drawing revealed abstract shapes that interrelated to each other, forming a common visual language. Subsequently, a two-dimensional drawing was created to explore the spatial possibilities presented by the initial drawing. The sculpture represents the culmination of this creative process.
Can you describe your creative process from concept to completion?
I started by doing an automatic drawing on the beach one morning. Then I made cardboard templates to scale of parts of the drawing that had sculptural possibilities. I then made those elements in plywood by cutting gluing clamping carving and sanding
Where do you look for inspiration? What themes do you find most interesting?
The ocean environment and abstraction.
What role does location or environment play in your sculptures?
Everything.
How do you feel when you see people interacting with your sculptures?
I like that feeling and hope that it connects with them in some way.
Describe your dream project.
The next sculpture after this one.
Come and see for yourself at SWELL Sculpture Festival, Pacific Parade, Currumbin 6th – 15th September.