Pottery Marks of PEI - Frieder Hermann, North Shore Pottery - Malpeque, PEI

Frieder Hermann of North Shore Pottery located Malpeque, PEI, was a key part of the Island pottery scene during the 1990s when he operated his studio in a building behind their restored farmhouse in the village. Frieder and his wife retired back to Ontario after 2005 to be closer to family members there. North Shore Pottery (the name) may have been a way to pay homage to the nearby historic North Shore House Hotel, which had been the first tourist operation in Malpeque with the building dating to 1810. It  remained standing into the 1980s.

An article on Frieder Hermann published by The Buzz in 1999 captures his history, from his immigration to Canada from Germany in 1959, to his start in pottery in Montreal in the early 1960s eventually leading to becoming a full time potter in 1967. Moving to rural Quebec in 1970, Lakefield, Ontario in 1981, and Prince Edward Island in 1989, he settled in Malpeque where he operated a gas-fired kiln using reduction firing (oxygen depletion to draw out unique colours from the clay and glazes). At the time reduction firing was rare on PEI so his work was unique. His inclusion of local clay also added a unique quality rarely seen in Prince Edward Island pottery.

The collage of his pottery was from a link that was available for many years but is no longer active. The thumbnail shots of the pottery remains as an indication of the variety of his forms and glazes.

The Canadian Heritage Information Network list him as

Hermann, Frieder

Born - 1934-11-11 in Stuttgart, Germany

Resident in 2005 of Malpeque, Prince Edward Island, Canada

Immigrated to Canada in 1959

Other name -- Hermann, Fred Paul

Frieder was an active production potter in Malpeque, Prince Edward Island for many years during those years he signed his work with his first name. "Frieder". Some pots also has a potters mark or chop mark. The sample we have seen is unclear but possibly was the initials of North Shore Pottery NSP. Any assistance in adding to this blog entry are appreciated.

The three images below, show a piece that is believed to be by Frieder. Found on PEI in 2024 it shows a hand-signed bottom as well as what may be a chop-mark. Any assistance in determining if this identification is correct would be appreciated