In the Design House | Trevor Clarke, Opportunity seldom knocks twice, 2008

Trevor Clarke
Opportunity seldom knocks twice
2008
Hopton Wood Limestone
99 x 45 x 33 cm
39 x 19 x 13 in.

Trevor Clarke is a sculptor, letter-carver and photographer based near Stourbridge in the West Midlands. His letter-form work often draws upon existing texts and quotations which he carves into stone. Speaking to the artist, he described how the materials he uses are the vehicles that drive the work. The Hopton Wood Limestone used for this sculpture was an off-cut gifted to him; Clarke seized the opportunity to make, bringing the proverb to the forefront of his mind. The art of letter-carving gives words physical form, Clarke explains, 'if you write it out and pick it up, it becomes an object, making opportunity a tactile object to be seized.'

'As a sculptor, you are directing the viewer.' (Trevor Clarke) The proverb is written around the curved length of the work, creating a double pictorial event which pushes the viewer to orbit the sculpture. The sculpture's form physically slows down the viewer, allowing for a deeper engagement and contemplation of the text.

Clarke studied at the University of Wolverhampton, going on to achieve a Master’s degree in Fine Art, concentrating on sculpture. Clarke has been carving letters and making sculpture since 2006, both producing his own work and working as an assistant to John Neilson, Gary Breeze and Peter Randall-Page amongst others. The 2008 winner of the Sandvik Award for Excellence in Sculpture, Clarke has also worked on numerous major public art projects throughout the UK including the V&A grand entrance donor recognition scheme, ‘The One and the Many’, London; ‘Timeline Serpentine Path’, Durlston Country Park; ‘Barry Poem’, Barry, South Wales.

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