author
George James Cox
1884–1946
A pioneer of studio pottery who moved easily between the workshop and the classroom, this British-born artist wrote practical, approachable books that helped explain ceramics to a wider audience. His career carried him from London’s Mortlake Pottery to teaching posts in New York and Los Angeles.
1 Audiobook
Pottery, for Artists, Craftsmen & Teachers
by George James Cox
About the author
Born in Cheltenham, England, in 1884, George James Cox studied pottery at the Royal College of Art under Richard Lunn. Around 1910 or 1911 he established Mortlake Pottery in south London, a short-lived but well-regarded venture that helped place him among the early studio potters of the period.
Cox moved to the United States in the 1910s and taught at Teachers College, Columbia University. Later, from 1932, he served as professor of fine arts and chairman of the art department at UCLA. Alongside teaching, he worked across pottery, sculpture, engraving, and design.
As an author, he is best known for Pottery, for Artists, Craftsmen & Teachers (1914), a hands-on guide written in clear, practical language. That mix of working artist and dedicated teacher gives his writing its lasting appeal: he understood both the craft itself and how to explain it simply.