Man Mugs by Hilary Huntley

Man Mugs by Hilary Huntley

Hilary was born in Fort St. John, the youngest of 5 kids, in the late 1970s and lived there until high school graduation. Hilary introduced herself to clay in 1996 in Bonnyville, AB and the insatiable appetite for making pots was ignited. Hilary moved for work and college and then university but always kept a hand in the mud. Hilary and David moved to Vancouver Island in 2006 after falling in love with island life during a race (of course) and Hilary has been making pottery full time ever since.

While selling pottery at several farmers’ markets around the Island (Duncan, Cedar, Nanaimo, Sidney) it quickly became apparent that each person holds their mug slightly differently and they feel comfortable with a mug that suits them for different reasons. Some like the colour or the tactile texture or the surface

decoration of a mug, some folks close their eyes and hold each mug by the handle and care only how it fits their unique hand. Some folks have very large hands and need a very generous handle while others have shape preferences relating the shape to the use of the mug. Hilary has committed to making a very wide variety of mugs with great attention to quality and sturdy construction of each hand thrown mug. Mugs are as unique as the person who uses them. Hilary makes larger mugs for tea or coffee and extra large steins for beer and even tiny ones for a quick espresso. Cork mugs with small holes for drinking while keeping the beverage hot will also be available at the farm stand this summer. Hilary’s pottery is fired to cone 6 and is absolutely fine to go in the dishwasher and microwave. Mug prices range from $25 to $65.

The farm stand on George Road, in Cowichan Bay, is stocked for contactless shopping on Saturdays and Sundays throughout the summer. There is plenty of parking off the small rural road and folks are easily able to stay distant from others at the outdoor farm stand. Payments can be made by etransfer, cash in the little tin, and by debit/credit on the square tap gizmo.

Hilary has a very small selection of pots on the website www. trialbyfirepottery.ca which can be purchased ahead of time and boxed up for contactless pick up at the farm stand if required. www.trialbyfirepottery.ca