Chris Weaver

"I like my pots to have a simplicity of form and something of a sculptural presence." 

This is the maxim that Chris Weaver works by in the development of his pieces. Born in Te Awamutu in the North Island and then growing up in the South Island, he graduated from Otago Polytechnic, Dunedin in 1976 with a Diploma in Fine and Applied Arts with Distinction in Design and Sculpture and a Certificate in Ceramics. Attracted by the landscape and lifestyle he moved back to the West Coast and built a studio and kilns at Kaniere, east of Hokitika where he has chosen to live and work. 

"Chris Weaver is ... concerned with form, function and honesty to materials. ... He is interested in series of works, finding that subtle developments evolve over time as individual components are manipulated."
     Robert Reason, former Curator, Shepparton Art Gallery, Victoria, Australia. (1) 

Weaver has gained national and international recognition. He regularly exhibits throughout New Zealand, Australia and Japan and has exhibited in the United States, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Germany. He has also been selected for international award exhibitions in Australia and Japan and has won several major awards and has been the recipient of three Creative New Zealand Study and Creative Development grants. He is represented in many public and private collections and has featured in several publications both here and overseas. 

"Weaver just keeps adding to a formidable oeuvre of inventive tableware that is both handsome and eminently functional.” 
     Moyra Elliott, ceramic artist, writer and curator. (2) 

(1) "Ceramics Art and Perception", Issue 47, p. 34 
(2) "Ceramics Art and Perception", Issue 48, p. 74