Paul Cox Sculpture: making his business his art

Background

Paul Cox is one in a long line of artists who use commercial techniques in their art practice. Since being awarded one of the most prestigious Henry Moore scholarships to study postgraduate sculpture at the Royal Academy in the mid-nineties, his work is represented worldwide in major public and private collections.

Paul Cox employs a team of workers, many of whom are artists and students from North Brook College and Brighton University, but also technicians. In this sense, his studio, located amid the industrial buildings, warehouses and rail yards of Newhaven, reflects theme’s around Warhol’s Factory, Damian Hirst and Banksy.

Over the years, he has worked in a variety of materials, including ceramics, metals, resin, blacksmithing and printmaking. Paul has also held various teaching and lecturing posts where he also teaches many of these materials.

My work is not far away from my experience with working with Antony Gormley. Materials come in, the product is made. That showed me that artists can use commercial techniques.

Newhaven

His unique creations are inspired by the beautiful East Sussex countryside that surrounds the industrial heartland of Newhaven. They exude an air of great mischief, joy and a light-hearted attitude to life. In his own words, he states, in an increasingly serious world ‘being an artist is a form of constant play and enquiry in many forms and on many levels’ and ‘I recognise that play is important, physical or intellectual play is involved in anything that is created.”

‘Kaleidoscope’, a series of ceramic blue butterflies that were put onto stems and placed in the middle of a floral bed in Hampshire. When it debuted, ‘it caused a stir’, finding buyers were not interested in the collection, but their favourite singular pieces. ‘I knew there was a demand for this work.

‘A lot of our pieces are similar and unique. Nothing like a machine assembly line, pretty much artistic and hand-made.’ His new collection allowed him the confidence to successfully approach the National Trust and soon found the orders started to increase rapidly. He now has a number of large clients such as the Kew Gardens, English Heritage and Royal Horticulture Society.

Since working with a new streamlined system I have been able to take on more clients and have even started an online shop

‘I can remember thinking a while back, what happens if fifteen orders came through at the same time? I had my head in the sand; it started to accelerate, the more they sold, the more they (the customer) wanted it. How do I grow this thing and keep in control?’