chris weaver

29Sep11

Chris Weaver. Hokitika, New Zealand

My first memory of clay is as a young boy, discovering it when my father was digging out steps in a bank down at the bottom of our property. I made my first pots then and have been obsessed by clay ever since.

When developing new work I prefer to work directly with clay. Each new series of work is related to and often evolves from the one before it. I try to be honest to myself, my materials and the process of making.. I make functional objects rooted in tradition and that have references to other things natural or man-made that I may have been influenced by. Form, function and attention to detail are overriding concerns and I like my pots to have something of a sculptural presence. My work is process-driven. If something happens in the clay accidentally and I like it, I will use this again later. I am developing new work all the time and while I’m finishing one piece, I’m already thinking about another one. I often carry design elements from one work to the next.

 The West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand where I live, rich in natural resources and scenic beauty, is a wonderful source of inspiration and raw materials. Its isolation from larger population centres and the rest of the ceramic community has enabled me to develop my own work. It has forced me to be more resourceful and to rely on my own judgment. Because of this isolation I have also been forced to make my own tools. I am three hours away from the nearest supplier and as I developed new work I was often not able to find anything suitable. I also found the generic tools available uncomfortable and unsympathetic to use. I began finding and using drift-wood to make my own tools from the wood that had been swept down the flooded rivers and washed up on local beaches. The driftwood pieces that I found were quite sculptural and fitted my hands comfortably.. The pleasure that I got from using these tools just added to the pleasure of making.

-artist statement

artist website

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artist own driftwood tools page

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Tags: ceramics, New Zealand