Ceramic artist and art educator and Heather O’Neil moved to Maine at eighteen to pursue her passion for the arts, earning her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Maine College of Art in 1988. She spent the next two decades building a distinguished career as a designer, creative director, and fashion photographer, working with renowned national brands including Phillips-Van Heusen, G.H. Bass, and L.L.Bean. Her work in the industry earned her three prestigious Broderson Awards for excellence in advertising.

Driven by a desire to share her creative experience, Heather returned to school in 2006 to complete her Master of Arts in Teaching. For the past twenty years, Heather has dedicated herself to art education as a full-time high school art teacher while also teaching year-round adult education ceramics courses. She was the recipient of the 2018 Quimby Fellowship at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, as well being one of only 2 ceramic artists ever chosen for the 2023 MARC Monhegan Island residency. Her artwork has been exhibited across Maine, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania.

Today, her dual background in commercial design and fine arts deeply informs both her personal ceramic practice and her approach to fostering creativity in students of all ages.

Says Heather, “My relationship with clay began in childhood, rooted in simple moments spent digging river mud alongside my mother. That early, intuitive connection to raw earth eventually led me to earn my Bachelor of Fine Arts and later a Master of Arts in Teaching. Today, my work as a ceramic artist and art educator is a continuous conversation between deep personal heritage, technical craftsmanship, and joyful play.” Heather creates both functional vessels and sculptural objects, with a central focus on ancestral memory and historical fashion, utilizing heirloom clothing, delicate lace, and vintage garments passed down through generations.