Cowan Pottery
Encyclopedia
The Cowan Pottery Studio was founded by R. Guy Cowan
in Lakewood, Ohio
, United States
in 1912. It moved to Rocky River, Ohio
in 1920, and operated until 1931, when the financial stress of the Great Depression
resulted in its bankruptcy. Cowan Pottery produced both artistic and commercial work in a variety of styles influenced by the Arts and Crafts Movement, Art Deco
, Chinese ceramics, and modern sculpture.
During its two decades of operation, a number of well known Cleveland School
artists worked with Cowan
at the studio - Elizabeth Anderson, Arthur Baggs, Alexander Blazys, Paul Bogatay, Edris Eckhardt, Waylande Gregory
, A. Drexler Jacobson, Raoul Josset
, Paul Manship
, José Martin, Herman Matzen
, F. Luis Mora
, Elmer L. Novotny, Margaret Postgate, Stephen Rebeck, Guy L. Rixford, Viktor Schreckengost
, Elsa Vick Shaw, Walter Sinz
, Frank N. Wilcox
, H. Edward Winter, and Thelma Frazier Winter.
R. Guy Cowan
Reginald Guy Cowan was an American potter and designer. He founded Cowan Pottery and was a leading figure in the Cleveland School of artists....
in Lakewood, Ohio
Lakewood, Ohio
Lakewood is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. It is part of the Greater Cleveland Metropolitan Area, and borders the city of Cleveland. The population was 52,131 at the 2010 making it the third largest city in Cuyahoga County, behind Cleveland and Parma .Lakewood, one of Cleveland's...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1912. It moved to Rocky River, Ohio
Rocky River, Ohio
Rocky River is an affluent western suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, United States located in Cuyahoga County approximately nine miles west of Public Square in downtown Cleveland. The city is named for the river that forms its eastern border...
in 1920, and operated until 1931, when the financial stress of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
resulted in its bankruptcy. Cowan Pottery produced both artistic and commercial work in a variety of styles influenced by the Arts and Crafts Movement, Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
, Chinese ceramics, and modern sculpture.
During its two decades of operation, a number of well known Cleveland School
Cleveland School
The Cleveland School refers to the flourishing local arts community of Northeast Ohio during the period from 1910-1960. It was so named in 1928 by Elrick Davis, a journalist with the Cleveland Press...
artists worked with Cowan
R. Guy Cowan
Reginald Guy Cowan was an American potter and designer. He founded Cowan Pottery and was a leading figure in the Cleveland School of artists....
at the studio - Elizabeth Anderson, Arthur Baggs, Alexander Blazys, Paul Bogatay, Edris Eckhardt, Waylande Gregory
Waylande Gregory
Waylande Desantis Gregory was one of the most innovative and prolific American art-deco ceramics sculptors of the early twentieth century. His groundbreaking techniques enabled him to create monumental ceramic sculpture, such as the Fountain of the Atoms and Light Dispelling Darkness, which had...
, A. Drexler Jacobson, Raoul Josset
Raoul Josset
Raoul Jean Josset was a French born American sculptor.During the First World War, he worked as an interpreter for American forces in France. He was a pupil of Antoine Bourdelle between 1920 and 1926...
, Paul Manship
Paul Manship
Paul Howard Manship was an American sculptor.-Life:Manship began his art studies at the St. Paul School of Art in Minnesota. From there he moved to Philadelphia and continued his education at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts...
, José Martin, Herman Matzen
Herman Matzen
Herman Matzen American sculptor and educator, born in Denmark.-Early years:Matzen studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich and the Academy of Fine Arts in Berlin before immigrating to the United States...
, F. Luis Mora
F. Luis Mora
F. Luis Mora, also known as Francis Luis Mora , was an Hispanic American figural painter. Mora worked in watercolor, oils and tempera. He produced drawings in pen and ink, and graphite; and etchings and monotypes...
, Elmer L. Novotny, Margaret Postgate, Stephen Rebeck, Guy L. Rixford, Viktor Schreckengost
Viktor Schreckengost
Viktor Schreckengost was a noted American industrial designer and teacher, sculptor, and artist. His wide-ranging work included noted pottery designs, industrial design, bicycle design and seminal research on radar feedback...
, Elsa Vick Shaw, Walter Sinz
Walter Sinz
Walter A. Sinz was an American sculptor. His best known work was the Thompson Trophy. He was educated at the Cleveland School of Art, where he also taught from 1911 to 1952. In addition to his bronze and medal work, he designed figures for Cowan Pottery.-References:* from the Cleveland Museum of Art...
, Frank N. Wilcox
Frank N. Wilcox
Frank Nelson Wilcox was a modernist American artist and a master of watercolor. Wilcox is described as the "Dean of Cleveland School painters," though some sources give this appellation to Henry Keller or Frederick Gottwald.-Life:...
, H. Edward Winter, and Thelma Frazier Winter.