Over the years, there has been some exceptional pottery produced by Canadian companies—some more successful than others, some not as well known, some small and some large operations—but all making a contribution to the culture of pottery in Canada. From British Columbia to Ontario to Quebec to New Brunswick, there is a long list of companies that have produced pottery in an array of styles, shapes and colours—and all are very collectible.
Blue Mountain Pottery: A Canadian Classic
Among the numerous Canadian pottery companies is one of the most popular and well-known: Blue Mountain Pottery, which operated in Collingwood, Ontario, from 1953 to 2004. The company created pieces like animals and fish to bowls, vases, and platters in a mid-century modern style using a trademarked glazing process known as “reflowing decorating.” This method involved applying light and dark-coloured liquid glazes one after the other, which would run together in the firing process to produce the streaking effect that Blue Mountain Pottery is known for. Pieces are typically marked with BMP on the bottom.
Rainbow Ceramics and Canadian Ceramic Craft
In 1960, one of the founders of Blue Mountain Pottery, Dennis Tupy, left the company to start Canadian Ceramic Craft in Collingwood. Tupy was joined by Jim Lloyd, who left Georgian China Ltd.—a company that produced functional, decorative, and table porcelain. Together, Tupy and Lloyd formed Rainbow Ceramics, a continuation of Canadian Ceramic Craft, which operated from 1966 into the 1980s. Their most distinctive pieces were decorated with seven colours, resembling a rainbow. Pottery was marked with CCC or RC.
Canuck Pottery and Evangeline Ware
In St. John, New Brunswick, Canuck Pottery was established in 1938 to continue the operations of Foley Pottery, which began in the 1890s. The company produced coloured jugs for perfume and souvenirs before shifting to dinnerware and decorative pieces in a line known as Evangeline Ware. After a factory fire in 1963, operations moved to Labelle, Quebec, while Foley Sr. stayed in New Brunswick producing Canuck Pottery and Beachcomber Ware from home.
Find Canadian Pottery at Cookstown Antique Market
Samples of these and other pottery companies can often be found on display among the quality antiques offered by 35 dealers at the Cookstown Antique Market on Highway 27 in Cookstown, Ontario. Decorators, collectors, and casual enthusiasts can browse the 6,000-square-foot century-old barn for that special piece.
