Meet Danelle Hancock | Ceramic artist, creating bold and beautiful artwork for your everyday use

We had the good fortune of connecting with Danelle Hancock and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Danelle, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Growing up, I never really knew where I would fit in. I worked many jobs, and was very successful, moving up with every company, but I was never really happy with that success. In the mess of growing up and trying to find a career, I had actually forgotten about finding something I truly loved. I was focusing more on tolerating a job enough to make the paycheck worth it, because, BILLS. One year while my husband and I were camping, we had been dating only a short while at the time, I was staring at the lake, completely content and at peace being in nature. I realized that I had been going about this work thing all wrong. I needed to follow my heart, and trust everything else would fall into place. I needed to do something that scared me half to death, uproot my stable foundation and start something new. My husband, who is a great listener, had recently bought me a pottery wheel, remembering the way I longingly talked about ceramics class. I was not great at the wheel, more of a hand builder, but I jumped back on it and was better than I ever had been (with some practice)! I decided that day at the lake that I would go to art school and pursue a career in art. Well, shortly after starting school again I realized that, while education is important, a degree in art wasn’t exactly what I needed, so I decided to take some time off from that, and just start focusing on my passion, ceramics. After many years of honing in my skills and lots of trial and error, I finally feel like I have a sense of direction and a successful business. In 2020 we welcomed our daughter into this world, right before the pandemic. Navigating the world of owning your own business as a new mom has presented me with many opportunities to adapt and dial in my processes, because I have to be more efficient with my time these days! It has been a difficult road to travel, but I have had the support of my family and friends along the way. Of course, some days it feels more like work than just “following my passion”, but those are few and far between. I love what I do, and I am very lucky to be able to say that.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Finding your niche as an artist is a unique journey for everyone. It takes a lot of trial and error, successes & failures, smiles and tears. Ceramics is an interesting medium to work with, until clay goes into the kiln, it can be recycled infinitely. However, once it is firing, you don’t get to see the final result until its cool enough to handle with your bare hands, and by then, any mistake made is done. There is no eraser. As you are learning and developing your style, you have to be willing to experiment and try new things, risk losing a piece, or 50, to get the result you really want. My aesthetic happened almost by mistake. I made one piece in a batch with a material I had never really used. Figured it would be ok if one piece didn’t make it. Wow. After that mug came out of the kiln, I knew where I wanted to go. All the pieces before this one seemed inadequate, and not authentic to me. They all hold a special place in my heart because they helped me evolve into the artist I am today, but I couldn’t ignore the signs of where I was headed. It took me a few years to find my niche, and I am still evolving my work every day. Many times I thought I would never truly be happy with my work, but it happened. My art is a compilation of my life experiences, my stubborn persistence, and my passion for what I do.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Since we live in Evergreen, we’d probably start closer to home, then move outward. I love yoga, so I would probably convince them to come with me to a class, either at Studio B, or True Yoga in Evergreen. We’d probably try to get outside as much as possible, spending time on our deck at our home BBQing, going to the park (either Stagecoach Park or Kitteridge Community Park), taking a hike or walking around Evergreen Lake. A day trip to the Denver Zoo is always a great time, and for a night out, we’d make sure to go to an Avalanche game. In the winter time, we’ll probable coerce our friend to go snowboarding with us, even if they’ve never been, and ice skate on Evergreen Lake, using watching me fall repeatedly as bait!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My story wouldn’t have started without my husband. He has always encouraged me to be the best version of myself that I can be, and pushed me to grow and move beyond my limits of comfort. He has supported me emotionally, financially, and sometimes even physically throughout this process. Ceramics isn’t always kind to your body, and setting up for shows and events is a lot of heavy lifting! Though he is not the only one I have to thank. Amongst many of my friends and family supporting me, my little sister has always been there. She is my biggest cheerleader, and probably has more of my work in her home than I have in my own. She is a fantastic partner at sales events, a bouncing board for many of my ideas, and shamelessly promotes my work to anyone who will listen. I couldn’t have gotten here without the support of so many people, but my husband and sister will always be my top supporters.

Website: prismpots.com

Instagram: @prismpots

Facebook: @prismpotsco