Why Canadian studio pottery?

Why would anyone collect pottery? Let alone invest hours of time researching potters, their marks, clay and glaze varieties, techniques, etc. For me, it started years ago in in an antique store in Snohomish WA.
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Tagging along with a friend on a day trip to an antique mall, it sparked within me a previously unknown interest in art and design. I had always enjoyed studying history, a trait I acquired from my father, so being in a building full of historical artifacts that you could actually buy was very appealing to me. I didn’t find a piece of pottery that day (although I’m sure there were likely some excellent examples laying about) but I did walk away with a $22 bakelite tube radio - which is all I could afford on a university student’s budget.

That radio led to years of research and learning as well as a respectable collection of over 120 bakelite and catalin sets. I was hooked on the design, their significance to their era, and the stories of the designers who made them. The shapes and colours were impressive, and the contribution Canadian designers made to the hobby made it that much more significant to me. Check out the catalin radio made by Addison Industries in Toronto, pictured here, and you’ll see what I mean.​

Addison Industries model 2, Toronto Ontario, 1940.

Philco Predicta "Danish" television, ca. 1961.

My interests changed as did my focus. Kids and a career would change my priorities and thus affect my time and ability to go out and find the stuff I enjoyed. The radios led to other interests and collections such as Philco Predicta televisions, porcelain advertising, vending machines, vintage audio, mid-century modern, etc.

A few years ago, and numerous collections later, I decided to refurnish my home with Scandinavian teak. I’ve always admired the clean lines and minimalist look of a good piece of Danish furniture. This, in turn, led to finding some unusual West German pottery vases as accent pieces.

The vases were made by Roth in West Germany in the 1960s. They reminded me of the abstract sets constructed for the original Planet of the Apes movie of 1968. Their asymmetrical lines, the crude volcanic “fat lava” glaze and the bright colours gave them a great brutalist vibe I quite enjoyed. This was the start of a brief collection that fortuitously led me to another pottery collector and a new friend…​

Roth Keramik model 312, made in West Germany, ca 1960s.

I answered an ad in a local classified that had a few pieces of WGP for sale at what I remember was a good price. When I went to this fellow’s home, we hit it off immediately over our shared interests and he invited me in to see his collection. What I saw though, was what remains the best collection of western Canadian pottery I’ve seen.

Hundreds of pots, tastefully curated and displayed throughout his home. The variety of shapes, colours and forms struck me immediately and every one of them had a story. He knew most of them by their chop mark, an interesting code on each one that I remember fascinated me. He knew where each one worked, when they potted and what styles they were known for. Who was important and why they were significant. And he said something to me I found rather poignant, “West German pottery is great but its factory made and there are thousands of copies out there. Each one of these pieces are hand made in a studio. Truly one of a kind.” That was it, I was hooked.

My new friend didn’t sell me a piece of pottery that day, his collection wasn’t for sale but it did start a renewed interest in the search for me. Over time I would build a collection of works by some of the great names in Canadian pottery; Hansen-Ross, Walter Dexter, Luke Lindoe, Jack Sures, and Wayne Ngan among them.

My interest in Canadian studio pottery continues to this day and has grown into a passion project - this site being part of it. Thank-you for visiting. I hope you are able to learn from it and find something useful in it. Please check back from time to time.

Hiro Urakami

Des Loan

Toru Hasegawa