Robert A. Crook
Robert Asa Crook (born December 14, 1964) is an American folk artist working in ceramic. Born in Palo Alto, California, Crook received his Bachelor of Arts at UCLA (in 1987) and his Juris Doctorate from University of California, Hastings College of Law (in 1991).[1][2] While practicing as a litigator, Crook taught himself ceramics and gained a following for his unusual work. In 2009 he was admitted into the Pasadena Society of Artists.[3]
Crook makes face jugs and is not the only ceramic artist working consistently in the art form on the West Coast. There is at least one other potter that produces face jugs on the West Coast. However, Robert was introduced to the art form by a grandfather from Texas. Crook’s jugs almost exclusively depict demonic and contorted faces. Crook also sculpts fanciful creatures with the same demonic qualities as his jugs.[4][5][6] These sculptures often refer to attorneys, judges, or the legal profession to which Crook belongs.