ERNST LORENZEN (1911-1990) WAS A FORESTRY STUDENT FROM DENMARK WHO MADE HIS WAY TO THE MARITIMES.
He met Alma Goguen (1916-1998) who was of Acadian French descent and an art student. They both became interested in clay although they had no formal training in pottery. They started a pottery in Dieppe, New Brunswick in 1944. In 1949, they moved to Lantz, Nova Scotia with the encouragement of L.E. Shaw, a brick manufacturer. The lure in part was due to the clay source. You will notice in the pics below the variation in clay bodies. At Lantz, Ernst created a wheel which he favoured while Alma preferred the more sculptural items. They created many small items favouring decorations from nature i.e. pine cones.
They gathered their minerals for glazes from across the province. On these trips, they noticed the local mushroom flora and Alma created her first one. These mushrooms are very labour intensive and became quite popular for their authenticity of shape and colour. There are examples in many museums including the Smithsonian.
The pottery carried on after their passings until 2005 under the guidance of their daughter, Dinamarca.
Their work is eagerly sought especially the mushrooms. Pictured below is an example of their mushrooms and its mark. Note the graceful colour. The latin wording is the mushroom specie. The holes were intended to fulfill its use as a flower frog.
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The salamander tray is very small and bares their early Dieppe, New Brunswick mark. |
The vase with the handle shows one of their typical grainy glazes and has their inscribed mark.
