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A Brief History of R. Guy Cowan
and The Cowan Pottery Studio
R. Guy Cowan was born in 1884 in East Liverpool, Ohio and educated in
ceramics at the New York State School of Ceramics at Alfred. He founded
the Cowan Pottery Studio in Lakewood, Ohio (a suburb of Cleveland) in
1912. The first studio had three small kilns, with Cowan doing most of
the designing himself. In the early years, he produced a variety of art
pottery and ceramic tiles. In 1917, R. G. Cowan was presented with the
first of many career awards for pottery in the International Show at the
Art Institute of Chicago.
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During the First World War, the studio closed while Cowan served as a
Captain in the Chemical Warfare Service. After the War, Cowan reopened
his operation in Lakewood, but due to the extinction of his gas well in
1920, he moved his facility 3-1/2 miles west to Rocky River, Ohio. The
new studio had nine kilns and a small house on the property became the
pottery showroom. During the 20's', the studio prospered and a
nationwide dealer network, with some 1200 outlets, was formed to
distribute pottery to such stores as Marshall Field of Chicago,
Wanamaker's of Philadelphia, Kauffman of Pittsburgh, Ovington of New
York and Halle's of Cleveland.
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R.
Guy Cowan ca. 1926
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In the mid-twenties, the studio managed to develop a full commercial
line of pottery with artistic quality of the highest standard. Examples
of this are the flower figurines created by R. G. Cowan in 1924-1925
that enjoyed tremendous popularity with the public. Console sets, flower
bowls, comports, candlesticks, vases, lamps, candy and nut dishes were
very successful. By 1928, Cowan Pottery had grown to a staff of 35
people and was producing 175,000 single pieces a year ranging from
unlimited stock designs to limited editions of sculptured pieces.
By the late twenties, many well-known artists were affiliated with
the studio, including Waylande Gregory, Viktor Schreckengost, Thelma
Frazier Winter, Margaret Postgate, Alexander Blazys and 20 others. Through these artists and their works, American ceramic art
gained the respect and recognition it deserved from the art world. The
studio showed itself to be ahead of its time with the modern ceramic sculptures
and wide array of Art Deco pieces it created for its avant-garde
clientele.
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Financial difficulties began in 1929 as the delicate balance of art,
pottery and commercial production began to teeter. More limited editions
and hand painted pieces were being offered at a time when the public could
appreciate but hardly afford them. In 1930, the financial difficulties of
the Great Depression proved overwhelming and in December, 1930 the Company
went into receivership. In 1931, operating under supervision of the Court,
Cowan Pottery artists were able to produce some of their most artistic
work but the pottery was forced to sell off all its remaining inventory at
depressed prices and finally closed its doors in December, 1931. |
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Cowan Pottery Employees ca. 1930
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During its comparatively brief existence, the Cowan Pottery Studio,
R. Guy Cowan and the artists involved with the studio produced
outstanding and technically extraordinary pieces which brought
international recognition to American Art Pottery. The expertise of the artists and chemists
allowed
them to create art forms and glazes which have never been reproduced.
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After the studio closed, R. Guy Cowan spent the rest of this life as the
chief designer for Syracuse China and a judge and trustee for the
National Ceramic Exhibitions. He died of a heart attack while
vacationing in Tucson, Arizona in 1957 and
was buried in Rocky River, Ohio. |
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