Kane Boy Says: Reduce, Reuse, Reycle and Redecorate!
Van Biggle Pottery, Colorado Springs, CO
Artus Van Briggle was and American Artist of Dutch descent. He was a painter as well as a potter. He worked for the acclaimed Rookwood pottery in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Van Briggle Pottery was started in 1889 by Artus and his wife Anne. They moved to Colorado for the climate and it's positive impact on Artuss' tuberculosis, but to no avail, he died young (35) in 1904. Their mark is two incised capital A's -- for Anna and Artus. It was one of the oldest continuously running potteries in the United States when it closed in 2012. Anna continued to run the pottery after the death of her husband. The Pottery won international acclaim, including a first prize at the 1904 Paris Salon. The pottery lines are full of sculptural forms with organic plant, animal, and human motifs. Years were spent perfecting matte glazes such as Ming Blue and Persian Rose. The pottery building exists today in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It is decorated in tiles and sculpture from the Van Briggle's. An architectural wonder, it is now a maintenance building for Colorado College. It is in a nice setting, with an adjacent park and the ever present Colorado sunshine (300 days a year average) and wide open skies. The Kane Boy visited and paid homage to the great Van Briggles.. oh my what a wonder!
Cowan Pottery Museum Rocky River, Ohio..
A while back the Kane Boy visited the Rocky River Library in Rocky River, Ohio..It is home the Cowen Pottery Museum.. Can you say Victor Schrekenghost!? Amazing stuff.. and have fave of the Treasure House.. we have some pieces for you to look at! A hand swirled bowl, a bright orange beauty.. oh my! Cowan Pottery was a prominent American art and commercial pottery studio founded by R. Guy Cowan that operated in Ohio from 1912 until 1931. Origins and Early Years (1912–1917)Founding: R. Guy Cowan, born into a pottery family in East Liverpool, Ohio, studied ceramics at Alfred University and moved to Cleveland to teach art. In 1912 (incorporated in 1913), he opened the Cleveland Pottery and Tile Company on Nicholson Avenue in Lakewood, Ohio.Early Production: The studio initially focused on architectural tiles and a line of vases and bowls known as "Lakewood Ware". Early Success: By 1917, Cowan’s ceramic designs won critical praise, including a first-place prize at the Art Institute of Chicago's International Show. Operations paused when Cowan closed the studio to serve as an Army Captain in World War I. The Rocky River Era and Expansion (1920–1929) Relocation: Returning from the war in 1919, Cowan found that the natural gas wells fueling his Lakewood kilns had gone dry. He relocated the operation in 1920 to 19633 Lake Road in Rocky River, Ohio, establishing a larger facility with nine kilns and a showroom. Commercial and Artistic Shift: The studio expanded into large-scale commercial production—reaching an output near 175,000 pieces a year and selling through roughly 1,200 national retailers—while continuing to produce high-end art pieces.Famous Collaborators: During the mid-1920s, Cowan hired and collaborated with brilliant young artists from the Cleveland Institute of Art, incorporating distinct Art Deco, modernist, and sculptural styles. Notable figures included:Viktor Schreckengost (designer of the famous Jazz Bowl) Waylande Gregory Alexander Blazys Edris Eckhardt Arthur Baggs Decline and Closure (1930–1931)The Great Depression: Hit hard by the economic downturn, the company fell into receivership in 1930 under financial strain. Final Closure: The studio managed to operate under court supervision for about a year before permanently closing its doors in 1931
Some of the Kane Boy's Cowan Pottery offerings..
