Daniel Rivers is an artist and registered architect living and working in the Lake Macquarie/Awabakal region of NSW.
His creative practice focuses on the observation and experience of place, an ongoing study of light, landscape, and atmosphere. A passion for the outdoors, whether hiking or mountain biking in the bush, or being in the ocean, strengthens this connection and continually informs both his art and architecture.

Art

Daniel works primarily with soft pastels, creating landscapes shaped by light, movement, and memory. His work captures moments of transition: shifting shadows, drifting clouds, and figures engaging with place.

Often with a sketchbook in hand, he records scenes on location. These field studies inform studio works, where compositions begin with gestural marks and side scrapes of colour, gradually refined with sharper edges and detail.

His landscapes, both natural and built, reflect a personal geography, places lived and remembered: a childhood near the Wollemi, the escarpments of the Illawarra, and the shifting coastal light of Lake Macquarie. Daniel has exhibited his work in solo and group shows across NSW.

Architecture

After working with Takt Studio, an award-winning architecture firm, Daniel established Rivers Studio to focus on small-scale residential projects. His architectural approach reflects the same values found in his artwork: attentiveness to light, sensitivity to the rhythms of daily life, and a strong connection to site.

He brings an appreciation for craftsmanship, along with a practical understanding of construction and materials. Each project is shaped by a thoughtful response to brief and place, aiming to create quiet, considered architecture that feels personal and comfortable, and supports everyday life.

From early concepts through to construction, Daniel offers tailored architectural services for new homes, renovations, and small residential projects.

Selected Exhibition + Awards:

  • Finalist - Inside This Box Art Prize, Corner Store Gallery, Orange (2022)

  • Finalist - BAS Sellers Art Prize, BAS Sellers Exhibition Centre, Moruya (2022)

  • Finalist - Inside This Box Art Prize, Corner Store Gallery, Orange (2023)

  • Group Show - Scarborough Art Show, Scarborough (2023)

  • Group Show - Quiet, Corner Store Gallery, Orange (2023)

  • Solo Exhibition - Under Sandstone Skies, Corner Store Gallery, Orange (2024)

  • Affordable Art Fair, Carriageworks, Sydney (2025)

  • Group Show - Heaviness of Light, Corner Store Gallery, Orange (2025)

Daniel Rivers
Balcolyn NSW
0411 265 028
daniel@riversstudio.com.au