| Robin Hopper was born in 1939 Selsdon, Surrey,
England. He began his art education at the Croydon College of Art,
initially in printmaking until 1956 when he commenced studies in ceramics.
Hopper immigrated to Canada in 1968 to teach at the Central Technical
School as the head of the Ceramics Department. In 1970 he set up the
Ceramics and Glass Programme and Department at the Georgian College,
Barrie, Ontario, while operating his own studio at Hillsdale, Ontario.
In 1973 he resigned from teaching to devote himself to work full-time
in his own studio. In 1977 he arrived in Victoria to set up his current
studio. It was also in 1977 that he received the first Saidye Bronfman
Award for Excellence in Crafts. Hopper has taught at the Lester B.
Pearson College of the Pacific, and has also been instrumental in
the organization of the Metchosin International Summer School of the
Arts. He is the author of many articles and books including "The
Ceramic Spectrum", "Functional Pottery” and a new
edition of Daniel Rhodes "Clay and Glazes for the Potter."
In 1993 he developed a series of six educational videos on ceramic
decoration techniques titled “Making Marks”. In late
1994, a second series of five videos on design and aesthetics titled
“Form and Function”, based on the content of advanced
wheel-thrown pottery techniques were made. Hopper’s work in
ceramics over a 40 year period includes a great deal of ceramic
historical and technical research, and an ongoing studio involvement
with both functional production and one-of-a-kind art works, primarily
in porcelain.
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