I lucked out at the Salvation Army with this La Cañada Pottery low bowl. It was buried under a stack of modern plates and bowls. The style of this particular one is pretty unassuming, which is the reason I believe it was left behind. Everyone probably thought it was newer, or someone’s pottery project.

Many of the La Cañada items have this rustic look to them - they have a sort of handmade quality (and in fact, are usually marked “handmade” on the back). I believe that they were often worked on by hand while the clay was still in the “leather hard” state (I’m not a potter, so excuse the terminology if it’s wrong). Often, they have elements such as rope braids or decorations and flowers that were added on later.

I think most of these pieces date to the 1930s-40s, perhaps into the 50s. This bowl is two toned - the inside is a sort of light pink maroon. Other pieces are glazed with a single color only. It’s rather nice - I sure hope I come across more of these!