Blue Mountain pottery is one of the most recognized names in Canadian pottery with its distinctive colours and patterns that have made the pottery so popular among collectors that there is a Blue Mountain Pottery Collectors Club.
The company was founded in the early 1950s by a trio of Czech immigrants, Jozo Weider, Denis Tupy and Mirek Hambalek, who started their business in a barn at the foot of the ski resort in Collingwood. As the popularity of the pottery grew, they bought a building on Pine Street in the town of Collingwood where the business flourished.
When they started the business, they bought ceramic blanks and decorated them with ski-themed designs before creating their own pottery designs in a mid-century modern style. Their pottery was styled in a wide range of themes from animals and fish to bowls, vases and platters all with the signature BMP on the bottom of each piece.
The manufacturing process started with red clay from the Brampton area that was screened several times to eliminate impurities that would affect the pottery in the firing process. Any impurities could cause the pieces to blister in the kiln. Once screened, the clay was mixed with water and the moisture was poured into moulds made of plaster of paris that helped to absorb moisture out of the poured clay. The clay sat in the mould to thicken the sides in the clay. After the remaining liquid is poured out of the mould, the pieces go through a warming process to dry the clay and absorb the moisture out of the clay.
Then the pottery is removed from the moulds and the seams created by the mould are removed by hand, they are smoothed with a sponging technique and placed on carts that are wheeled into the kiln for a bisque firing to cure the clay and make it durable. The pottery is removed from the kiln and cooled, in preparation for the glazing process.
The distinguishing feature of Blue Mountain Pottery is the trademarked glazing process known as “reflowing decorating” whereby light and dark-coloured liquid glazes were applied, one after the other, before being fired in the kiln. The glazes would run together in the firing process and create a streaking pattern that made each piece unique.
Before the company closed in 2004, they were producing pottery in the traditional green finish as well as cobalt blue, brown and red. Today, Blue Mountain Pottery can be found in antique shops as well as second-hand and thrift stores.
Pieces of Blue Mountain Pottery can be found from time to time among the quality antiques available from 35 dealers at the Cookstown Antique Market on Highway 27 in Cookstown, Ontario. Decorators, collectors and the casual enthusiast can browse through the 6,000 square foot century old barn for that special purchase.
