A world where football and dinosaurs collide. I bet you didn't ever think you'd see that one coming. Well, that's the world this week's Artist Showcase subject, Alex Chilvers exists in when creating some of his works. And it's a world we're happy to enter!
An illustrator, animator and painter, Alex undertook an MA in Drawing at The Royal Drawing School in London. He's since gone on to work for clients including Sports Direct and BBC3, as well as having had work exhibited in various locations including at Mall Galleries, Bankside Gallery, Willis Museum and on It’s Nice That.
We caught up with Alex to hear about his process and how a love of drawing has always been an integral part of his practice.
CK: First things first, who is your team?
AC: Having grown up in Grimsby my team will always be Grimsby Town FC.
CK: Do you have an early footy memory you can share with us? Or one that sparked your love for the game etc?
AC: It has to be the arrival of Ivano Bonetti at Grimsby Town during the 1995 season. I’d never seen anyone carry the ball and link play the way he did. He was Grimsby’s Maradona, almost single handedly getting us to second in the league. Unfortunately it ended in disaster involving a plate of chicken wings.
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CK: Tell us a bit about yourself and how would you best describes your style
AC: My passion is telling stories through the mediums of animation, paint, and printmaking. I like to develop interesting compositions using vivid colours to create a playful narrative, often integrating my love of football and dinosaurs on the same page. I am inspired by my own nostalgic memories of football and by other people’s experiences of the beautiful game.
"I like to rely on my memory of the game when capturing the movement and positioning of the players in order to replay those moments of joy when the ball hits the back of the net in the mediums of paint and moving image."
CK: Tell us what you've been working on lately, how has the project come about?
AC: I’ve been working on an animation about the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs - a walking football team. I was invited by one of the players and local historian Stuart Hibberd for a game. They get together for a game every Thursday morning and Stuart took me for a tour of the Victorian dinosaur sculptures in Crystal Palace Park before the we played. He’s been trying to get a game organised with the Grimsby Ancient Mariners and thought a match with the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs would make quite a fixture.
CK: What's been your standout piece/job/collab of 2023 so far?
AC: My stand out work this year has been my short animations for the Women's World Cup. I animated a series of goals scored by the England team in the tournament. I like to rely on my memory of the game when capturing the movement and positioning of the players in order to replay those moments of joy when the ball hits the back of the net in the mediums of paint and moving image.
CK: What other work/artist/designer – is catching your eye at the moment?
AC: I’m really enjoying the work of artist Ed Gray. He paints these great tapestry style scenes of people gathering in urban spaces, often depicting football fans before and after a match.
CK: What do you think your team's chances are this season?
AC: Currently sitting 21st in League Two and having sacked our manager at the weekend I’m not feeling very optimistic. I’ll be happy with anything other than relegation.
CK: Do you have standout footy shirt for the 23/24 season?
AC: I’m a big fan of the pink kit. The Palermo shirt is always a winner with me. This year has subtle stripes, very classy.
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CK: : What do you think of your team's shirts this year?
AC: We usually have very good shirts. You can’t go too wrong with black and white stripes with a splash of red. We’ve kept it simple this year with thick stripes. I’m a big fan of the away shirt this year which is red with a white round colour.
CK: Can you tell us what you've got coming up – any exciting collabs/jobs we should look out for?
AC: I’ve started doing a weekly comic strip called “Grass Stains”. A series of images I’m posting on instagram depicting a little highlight from the weekend’s football. I’m trying to capture interesting compositions from tackles, goals, bust-ups, saves - something that might not be the biggest story of the weekend but reveals why we all love the game.
CK: Where can people follow you and checkout more of your work?
AC: People can follow me on Instagram and TikTok @alexjchilvers and my website alexchilvers.co.uk
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