James Bostock (11 June 1917 – 26 May 2006) was a British painter. His work was part of the painting event in the art competition at the 1948 Summer Olympics. Life James Bostock (Hanley, Staffs 11June 1917 - Margate, Kent 26 May 2006) was a British wood-engraver and artist. He was born in Hanley, Staffs, the son of William George Bostock (d.1948) pottery and glass-worker, and Amy (née Titley, d.1976). He was brought up in Kent and attended Borden Grammar School, Sittingbourne, and later, Medway School of Art in Rochester. From 1936 to 1939 he undertook post-graduate study at the Royal College of Art where his tutors included Edward Bawden, Eric Ravilious, Paul Nash and John Nash. It was there that he first became attracted to printmaking, and especially wood engraving. He was awarded RCA certificates in etching, wood engraving and lithography, and the ARCA diploma. After distinguished war service he began to produce wood engravings which were soon recognised for their fine craftsmanship and artistic individuality. By 1950 he had been elected a member of both the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers and Engravers (later the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers) and the Society of Wood Engravers. He exhibited regularly at the annual exhibitions of these societies and his work was often included in the Royal Academy summer shows. Museums and international institutions acquired his wood engravings and Bostock quietly secured his position within the print world. For over thirty years James Bostock combined an artistic career with that of a full-time teacher and administrator. Notwithstanding his academic commitments, as well as the inevitable demands of bringing up a family of three boys, Bostock produced a remarkable oeuvre of paintings and prints. However, it was not until retirement in 1978, and a resultant flurry of artistic activity, that James Bostock's work came before a wider audience. His work is to be found in the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the British Council collection, the Hunt Botanical Library, Pittsburgh and many private collections Exhibitions of his paintings and prints occurred regularly and the wood engravings were shown at the exhibitions of the Society of Wood Engravers. Sadly, by 1988, deteriorating eyesight and the onset of arthritis caused him to cease wood engraving - although, even then, he still painted and drew with vigour. The wood engravings continued to be shown at exhibitions and, in 1996, Bostock was one of nineteen