Scott Weaver wanted to do something special for Pewabic Pottery and for Detroit, to honor where he got his start and the city’s current vibe of revitalization.
An artist in Pewabic’s Gallery of North American Artists, Weaver releases his new 6 x 12 inch DETROIT SKYLINE WELCOME tile featuring the city skyline above an Arts & Crafts style welcome. The release includes a chance to meet Weaver as the first in Pewabic’s visiting artist series Saturday, April 29th, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
“With the revitalization of Detroit I thought it was a good fit,” says Weaver, adding that his history with the pottery inspired him. “I’ve had this relationship with Pewabic and that’s where I started, of course. I wanted to do something for Pewabic.”
After years as a stonemason, Weaver started taking classes at Pewabic when his chiropractor made the suggestion in 1996. He stayed with it four consecutive winters and by 2000 established Weaver Tile, where he creates high-fired decorative tiles in his distinctive naturalistic style.
It’s not entirely unlike stonemasonry, says Weaver, adding that he still works with a lot of fireplace surrounds. A lifelong nature-lover, Weaver’s tiles often include designs of herbs, wildflowers, animals and bugs, as well as a series that reflects on people enjoying the outdoors.
“I’ve spent my entire life out in the fields in the nature and the fields,” he says, describing a childhood of birdwatching and foraging, raising butterflies and moths. He and his wife currently live on 80 acres on a prairie fen at the headwaters of the Grand River in Horton, southwest of Jackson “We have lots of inspiration.”
His studio is in an 1870s post-and-beam barn that he purchased, tagged, dismantled and reassembled two miles away on his property.
“I was looking for a studio with ambiance,” he says. “It’s a cool building. I have parts of ten different barns in here to get the pieces I needed.”
