Julie Hilliard lives on a mountainside near Scaly Mountain, NC where she gardens, hikes, entertains, and makes functional ceramics.  Early on as a child growing up on a tobacco farm in South Georgia, she embraced a love of the land, an appreciation for getting into the dirt, and the dream to be an artist.  As a young adult, the practical side of earning a living took precedence and Julie moved from the farm to Atlanta to find a career with state government.  As fate would have it, an early retirement provided the chance to move back to the land into an environment friendly to the arts.  She and her husband Larry chose to live near Highlands.  Larry built their home in the woods.

Julie's beginnings with pottery were fueled by the desire to show off her cooking skills on one-of-a-kind serving pieces and have another opportunity, in addition to gardening, to play in the dirt.  She studied clay at John C. Campbell Folk School at Brasstown, NC and Warwoman Pottery in Clayton, GA.  Currently she is a studio potter at the Hambidge Center in Rabun Gap, GA where she handbuilds with stoneware and porcelain clays and fires in a gas and wood kiln.  Prior to exhibiting at Summit One, she has participated in local art shows: "Celebrate Clayton", "Don't Count Your Chickens", and "Fall Colors".  Most recently her work was shown at the Bascom Louise Gallery.