Born:  1965, London.
     
  1984-85 Humberside College of Higher Education, Foundation Course.
  1985-89 West Surrey College of Art & Design, BA (Hons)
  1986-87 Year out as assistant to Ronnie Wilkinson, former Master Glassmaker of Whitefriars glassworks, at the Glasshouse, Covent Garden, London.
  1989-90 Workshop manager at Glassworks (London) Ltd. Assistant to Simon Moore, Catherine Hough and Steven Newell.
  1990-1994 Set up First Glass, Newent, Gloucestershire.
  1994-2002 First Glass Clapham, London.
  2002- Relocated “Bob Crooks: First Glass” to Devon.
     
   

Bob Crooks is one of Britain’s most highly recognised leading glassmakers. Renown for the high quality, skilfully executed dynamic forms and surfaces, he has been producing over the last twelve years. Continuously thinking of original and challenging ideas. His work has been exhibited at International level and in noted exhibitions in Italy, China, Scandinavia, Australia and the USA, alongside many exhibitions at home in the UK.

Each piece is designed, handmade and finished by Bob. No moulds are used to create the forms or surfaces achieved.
The pieces are inspired by Geometry, Architecture, the Natural and Man-made worlds we live in as well as the qualities and capabilities of the glass itself: Throughout the variety of the work, Bob exploits the many properties of the material through refraction or reflection; sharpness or softness, transparency or opacity, working with it’s fluidity and ‘freezing’ it as the desired form is realised.
Within the range of production work made, Bob has consciously developed work that is, because of the nature of different applications, a one-off it is not possible to make two pieces identical.
The Unique pieces have now escalated in size, creating a more dramatic statement. Although large scale, closer inspection reveals intricacies which demand ones eye. The resultant objects demonstrate a masterly love of the material with attention to fine detail.
                                                                                                                 

Sarah Edwards

     
 
  SOLO AND PAIRED EXHIBITIONS
     
  1991 Art Glass Centre, Schalkwijk, Holland.
    South Bank Centre, Royal festival Hall, London.
  1993 Galerie Tessel, Den Burg, Holland
  1998 Roger Billcliffe Gallery, Glasgow.
  1999 Roger Billcliffe Gallery, Glasgow.
  2000 ‘Focus’ -Bob Crooks, Crafts Council at the V&A Museum, London.
   
‘Focus’  Contemporary Applied Arts, London.
  2002 Bob Crooks and Zoe Hope, Flow Gallery, London.
    Bob Crooks, White Gallery, Hove, Brighton.
  2003 Bob Crooks and Ptolemy Mann, Contemporary Applied Arts London.
    Bob Crooks, Roger Billcliffe Gallery, Glasgow.
    Bob Crooks, Norton Gallery, Spain
  2004 Bob Crooks, Susan Megson Gallery, New York.
    Bob Crooks, Primavera, Cambridge.
  2005 Bob Crooks, Church Gallery, Devon.
    Bob Crooks, Norton Gallery, Spain.
    ‘Focus’ – Bob Crooks, Bluecoat Display Centre, Liverpool.
    Bob Crooks & Karina Thompson, Grace Barrand, Surrey.
  2006 ‘Focus’ – Contemporary Applied Arts, London.
    Bob Crooks – Solo – Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh.
    ‘Focus’ – National Glass Centre, Sunderland.
    Bob Crooks –Solo- Susan Megson Gallery, Gloucestershire.
  2007 Bob Crooks – Solo – Cecilia Colman Gallery, London.
    Bob Crooks – Solo – Eton Applied Arts, Eton & Windsor.
  2008 Bob Crooks – Solo – Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh.
  2009 Bob Crooks – Solo – Cowdy Gallery, Gloucestershire.
  2010 Bob Crooks & Siddy Langley – Steam Gallery, Devon.
    Bob Crooks – Solo – Old Court House Gallery, Cumbria.
  2011 ‘Virtuoso’- Bob Crooks & Siddy Langley – Steam Gallery Devon.
    Bob Crooks Solo – Neville Johnson, London.
     
 
  SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
     
  1992 ‘British Glass’ Galerie Rob van den Doel, The Hague, Holland.
    Della Tinsley and Bob Crooks, Cecilia Colman Gallery, London
  1993 ‘British Glass’ Crafts Council Gallery, London.
    Christies Contemporary Art, London.
  1994 ‘British Glass’ Galerie L, Hamburg, Germany.
  1995 ‘Influences of the Natural World’ Crafts Council, London.
  1996 ‘Blowing Hot and Cold’ The Oxford Gallery, Oxford.
    Bob Crooks and Stewart Hearn, Cecilia Colman Gallery, London.
  1997 Eton Applied Arts, Eton, Berkshire.
  1998 ‘A Celebration of Glass’ CAA, London
    ‘Venice Aperto Vetro’ Venice, Italy.
  1999 ‘British Glass’ Lane Crawford, Hong Kong.
    ‘New Glass Economy’ Shang-Hi, China.
  2000 ‘Contemporary Decorative Arts’ Sotherby’s, London.
    ‘Spring Fever’ Contemporary Applied Arts, London.
    ‘Master and Pupil’ Oxford Gallery, Oxford.
    SOFA –Chicago, with Contemporary Applied Arts, Chicago, USA.
  2001 ‘Home Sweet Home’ Touring Exhibition with the British Council
Scandinavia –2001 and Australia –2002.
    Gallery Gronlund, Copenhagen, Denmark.
    SOFA –New York, with CAA, including demonstration at Urban Glass,
New York, USA.
    ‘Celebration of Glass’ Cowdy Gallery, Gloucestershire.
    SOFA –Chicago, with CAA, USA.
    ‘Thirteen Hands’ touring exhibition around the highlands of Scotland.
  2002 ‘9 x 9’ Art Glass Gallery, London.
    SOFA –New York, with CAA. New York, USA.
    The White Gallery, Brighton, East Sussex.
    ‘In Search of Light’ Cowdy Gallery, Gloucestershire.
    SOFA –Chicago with CAA. USA
    ‘All Set For Christmas’ Contemporary Applied Arts, London.
  2003 ‘Nine Colourways’ Blackwell, Cumbria.
    SOFA –Chicago with CAA. USA
  2004 Collect – London with CAA
    ‘Spring Glass’ Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh.
    ‘Mark of the Maker’ Eton Applied Arts, Eton.
    ‘British Glass Biennale’ Ruskin Glass Centre.
  2005 Collect – London with Grace Barrand.
    Dan Klein @ The Daniel Katz Gallery, London.
    ‘Collectable’ The Grace Barrand Design Centre, Surrey.
    ‘Flower Power’ The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh.
    ‘Clear Vision’ Gallery Top, Derbyshire.
    ‘Design Collection’ The Roger Billcliffe Gallery, Glasgow.
    ‘21st Anniversary Exhibition’ Candover Gallery, Winchester.
    ‘Winter Exhibition’ Cowdy Glass Gallery, Gloucestershire.
  2006 ‘Select’ The Grace Barrand Design Centre, London.
    ‘My Collection’ Contemporary Applied Arts, London.
    ‘Coburg Glass Prize’ Coburg, Germany.
    ‘Artists & Alchemists’ Colour & Chemistry, Sherborne House, Dorset.
    ‘British Glass Biennale’ Ruskin Glass Centre.
  2007 Collect – London with Contemporary Applied Arts.
    ‘Collection’ – Grace Barrand Design Centre, Surrey.
    Affordable Art Fair – London with Broadway Modern.
    ‘Hue Line & Form’ – Contemporary Applied Arts, London.
    ‘Yellow’ – The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh.
    Partridges – London in association with the Scottish Gallery.
    ‘Winter Exhibition’ – Cowdy Gallery, Gloucestershire.
  2008 Collect – London with Contemporary Applied Arts, London.
    Affordable Art Fair – London with Broadway Modern.
    ‘Glasshouse’ – Contemporary Applied Arts, London.
    ‘Focus’ – Royal Academy, London.
    ‘British Glass Biennale 2008’ Ruskin Glass Centre.
    ‘Scent Bottles’ – St. Joseph Gallerie, Holland.
    ‘In and Out’ – New Brewery Arts Centre, Gloucestershire.
  2009  Collect  – London with Contemporary Applied Arts.
    Affordable Art Fair – London with Broadway Modern.
    Siddy Langley & Bob Crooks –Steam Gallery, Beer, Devon.
    British Contemporary Glass – St. Joseph Gallerie, Holland.
  2010 Affordable Art Fair – London with Broadway Modern.
    The Honey Bee and the Hive – curated by Wendy Ramshaw, Contemporary Applied Arts, London.
    Take Thirty – Broadfield House Glass Museum.
    SOFA New York – with Contemporary Applied Arts.
    ‘British Glass Biennale 2010’ – Ruskin Glass Centre.
  2011 Affordable Art Fair – London – Broadway Modern.
    SOFA - New York, USA – Contemporary Applied Arts.
     
 
  COMMISSIONS AND AWARDS
     
  1989 Prize winners Goblets, ‘First Impressions’ Anglia Television.
  1990 Prize winners Vases, ‘First Impressions’ Anglia Television.
    Exclusive range of ‘Limited Edition’ Centrepieces for the Dutch equivalent of Habitat.
  1991 Three exclusive tableware ranges for The Art loft Gallery, Birmingham, Michigan, USA.
  1992 Crafts Council ‘Setting up Grant’
  1994 Lighting for Courtney and Barrow, -Wine Bar, City of London.
    Design and produce an exclusive range of glassware for the Crafts Council at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
  1995
Design and produce a commemorative Wine Glass for Casa Europea, Antwerp, Belgium.
  1996 Best New Product Award, Top Drawer. London.
    Design and produce an exclusive tableware range for Bertorelli’s restaurant, London.
    Design and produce the Goodman and Garret Awards for ABSA.
  1997 Design and produce the isdd Awards.
    Design and produce the ABSA Awards.
  1998-99 Design and produce exclusive range of tableware for Dan Burt, for homes in both London and USA.
  1999 Joint commission with Stewart Hearn to produce six unique pieces for the Standard Life Investments building, Edinburgh.
    Also individual commission to make large glass commemorative plaque for Standard Life.
  2000-02 Joint Commission with Stewart Hearn to produce a substantial range of production and unique pieces for the UK headquarters of Anglo American.
  2001 To create seven new large scale unique pieces for cruise liner –Voyager III. Adventurer of the Seas.
  2002 To create a further large scale unique piece for –Voyager IV. Navigator of the Seas.
    Collaboration with Bruce Oldfield on his new “House Couture” Collection.
    Design and create a series of Golf Trophies.
  2003 To produce a large scale unique piece for cruise liner Cunard – The Queen Victoria.
    Design and produce six large-scale pieces for Private residence in Jeddah.
    Two large scale unique pieces for the Four Season Hotel, Budapest.
  2004 Design and produce a large-scale centre piece for the Marriott Hotel, West India Quays, London.
    Design & Produce a series of unique glasses for the Cotswold Hotel, Gloucestershire.
  2005 To design & make two large scale unique pieces for cruise liner P&O – Arcaidia.
    Design and create two installations for cruise liner – Saga Ruby
    Design and produce Fourteen Awards for the Look Ahead Housing and Care.
    To create two large scale suspended pieces for the head office of Tempest Radford, London.
    Design and produce ‘UK EU Presidency 2005 Gifts’.
  2006 Design & produce five large scale pieces for Four Seasons Hotel Barabados.
    Design and create Fourteen Awards for Look Ahead Housing and Care.
    Design & create Three Large Installations for a Private residence in London.
    Design & create Six Large Installations for “Roast” Borough Market, London.
  2007 Design and produce a chandelier for Private Residence, London.
    Design and create a series of lighting for Private residence, London.
  2008 Worshipful Company Of Glass Sellers Of London, The Glass Sellers Art And Craft Award
     
 
  COLLECTIONS
    Private Collections, Home and abroad.
    Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
    Crafts Council Collection, London.
    Fitzwilliam Collection, Cambridge.
    British Council Collection, London.
    Cowdy Gallery Contemporary Glass Collection, Gloucestershire.
    Standard Life (Art Collection) Edinburgh.
    Anglo American (Art Collection) London.
    Dan Klein & Alan J. Poole ( Private Collection). London. G.B.
    The Sainsbury Collection. London.
    Anthony House Collection, Cornwall.
    Mobile Museum, Alabama, USA.
    Walker Museum, Liverpool.
    Manchester Metropolitan University, (Special Collections).
    Coburg Museum, Germany.
    National Museums Of Scotland.
    Broadfield House Glass Museum, Stourbridge.
    Ruskin Glass Centre, Stourbridge.