About Me

A favorite quote of mine is:

"make the difficult easy,

make the easy habitual, and

make the habitual beautiful."

K.S. Stanislavsky

Hi, my name is Hilary and I am the potter behind Third Hand Studios. I am a daughter, friend, mother, wife, and lover of nature. I enjoy traveling to new places, trying new foods, and experiencing new culture whenever I can. The ocean is one of my favorite places and I live in New England USA with my family. 

My work is inspired by nature and my love of mythology and magic. Storytelling and romanticizing life are central to my art.

Clay listens and remembers. It absorbs our energy and feelings and I place the utmost positive intentions into creating beautiful and functional every day items to use, love, and live with. 

I believe the mundane is magical and that our every day items hold deep significance; all of our memories.  I strive to add beauty to the objects that adorn our daily rituals -  they surround our lives and decorate our routines. The little things matter and I think we can find deep joy in choosing the coffee mug that we press against our palms while listening to morning birdsongs or pulling out a special handmade vase to arrange with flowers gifted from the neighbor's garden, serving family dinners in tableware made to last, and enjoying ice cream sundaes or strawberry shortcake in beautiful bowls that look as sweet as the treats themselves. Each holds our stories.

The creation process of ceramics is time laden and requires patience and, ultimately, pure faith and hope! I can spend hours throwing, designing, carving, sculpting, drying, smoothing, and glazing but, in the end, I must offer my best efforts to the kiln where chemistry and time transform each piece into its final form as something anew. I find this final release of control to be exhilarating and co-creative with the universe. Every piece is unique with its own element of unpredictability and surprise and each cycle is intimately tied to the elements of earth, water, air, and fire!

I hope the creations I make last decades, even centuries, in a world accustomed to disposable materialism. I like to think that the ancient earth and minerals used to create each piece will continue to collect stories and memories for lifetimes of use. I am honored to have my work in your hands and homes.