Rise Pottery - Ryan Murphy

Rise Pottery is the studio of Ryan Murphy who trained at NSCAD University, in Halifax, NS.
He currently operates it as a part-time studio in Charlottetown and attends craft shows to sell his work as well as through special orders online. The website is Rise Pottery.

Ryan speaking to customers visiting his booth on Victoria Row in 2018.

Potter's Mark for Rise Pottery is Ryan Murphy PEI

Crystal Stevens - Redrocks Pottery - Summerside, PEI

An excellent article published by The Guardian on August 13, 2018 tell the story of how Crystal of Redrocks Pottery became an Island potter, and developed her signature fox mugs.

North Bedeque potter finding success and fulfillment with line of individualized fox mugs

Colin MacLean (colin.maclean@journalpioneer.com) 

Published: Aug 06 at 11:09 a.m.

In a cozy little workshop, down a pretty little road, lives a fox.

Crystal Stevens, of Redrocks Pottery in North Bedque, shows off Jax, one of the individually named creations from her PEI Fox Mugs brand. - Colin MacLean, Journal Pioneer

His name is Jax and he’s looking for a home.

He probably won’t have to wait long before he’s adopted. His siblings have proven quite popular lately.

Which is good news for Jax – and for his creator.

See, Jax is a PEI Fox Mug.

He was hand-thrown by Crystal Stevens, owner and artist of Redrocks Pottery in North Bedeque.

Stevens launched her PEI Fox Mug brand about a year ago and a combination of word of mouth and being featured by Made in the Maritimes, which has a huge social media following, has made the stoneware items a popular seller.


“People love them. I can’t seem to make enough,” said Stevens.

“I don’t advertise them a lot because when I do advertise them they tend sell out pretty quick.”

As a small business owner Stevens is happy to have a popular product she can build on. But even more so as a potter and artist, she looks forward to each new batch of PEI Fox Mugs.

She does a lot of what’s called ‘production pottery.’ Which means she gets contracted by larger pottery producers to help make their products so they can keep up with their orders. It also means she has to make those items to her buyer’s standards and dimensions. It’s repetitive.

She has her own line of pottery as well, making all manner of household items and beyond. But it’s with her PEI Fox Mugs where she truly gets to play at her craft.

Each mug is the same basic design, but each is also unique. Some are tall, others stout. Some have frowny faces, some have mischievous faces and so on. She’s even working on a line of silver fox mugs, in a nod to the area’s silver fox fur farming history, but it is still in the development stage.

Because each is unique she felt it was only right to give each a name to reflect their personality.

Hence “Jax,” with his worried little grin. 

Each mug comes with a card with its name attached and thank you note for adopting the mug.

Some customers also like picking out their own names for their mugs, or buying a certain mug because it’s personality matches someone they intend to gift it too.


“It’s kind of silly, but it makes me happy,” said Stevens.

“When I throw fox mugs, I just sit at the wheel and throw whatever I feel.”

The relative success of PEI Fox Mugs, and her other work as well, is a great source of pride for her. She started Redrocks Pottery in 2014 and only started at the craft in 2012, using old, second-hand, equipment in her spare bedroom.

That was a difficult time her in life, she said, and pottery gave her an outlet.

“I couldn’t control anything in my life at that time. But I could control that, I could make pottery,” she said.

“I was so happy that I found something I love to do.”

Anyone interested in adopting a PEI Fox Mug, which are $42, or checking out Stevens’s many other offerings, can do so online at her website www.redrockspottery.ca. She also regularly updates her www.facebook.com/RedrocksPottery page whenever there is another batch of mugs.

She also has open hours, noon to 4 p.m., Thursday, Friday and Saturday at her shop at 120 Highview Rd in North Bedeque.

Colin.MacLean@journalPioneer.com

@JournalPMacLean

Bodine MacDonald - Keppoch Kraft

I recently came across two pottery tiles that I believe are both the work of Bodine MacDonald. Bodine Keene Forder met her husband Dr. Sandy MacDonald while he was undertaking a surgical residency at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. Operating under the name Keppoch Kraft, Bodine and Sandy were both active within the crafts community in the 1970's when I first met them through the PEI Crafts Council. These pieces show the use of found objects from nature to make impressions in the clay surface. An obituary for Sandy from 2003 tells of their retirement life together.

"Bodine and Sandy enjoyed many happy retirement years in Keppoch, PEI, where they both kept busy with hobbies and volunteer community work. Sandy developed an interest in silversmithing and became a skillful and artistic jeweller. He was pleased to accept a position as Chairman of the Board of the Confederation Centre of the Arts in Charlottetown. After his wife's death in 1986, Sandy moved to Victoria, BC where he continued to enjoy his hobby of silversmithing well past his 90th year." Full obituary.

Unsigned but believed to be the work of  Bodine (Forder) MacDonald of Keppoch Kraft.
Keppoch, Prince Edward Island
1970's - size 3 inch in diameter

Reverse of item above
Unsigned but believed to be the work of  Bodine (Forder) MacDonald of Keppoch Kraft.
Keppoch, Prince Edward Island
1970's - size 3 inch in diameter

Ceramic tile by Bodine (Forder) MacDonald of Keppoch Kraft.
Keppoch, Prince Edward Island
1970's - size 3 inch in diameter

Reverse of above tile by Bodine (Forder) MacDonald of Keppoch Kraft.
Keppoch, Prince Edward Island
1970's - size 3 inch in diameter

Keppoch Kraft - candle holder - marked "Keppoch Kraft SVD" - P.E.I.
Collection of Catherine Hennessey - photo by Ian Scott

Keppoch Kraft - candle holder - marked "Keppoch Kraft SVD - P.E.I."
Collection of Catherine Hennessey - photo by Ian Scott