Miranda Thomas

Miranda Thomas Pottery is a traditional workshop studio with a talented team of potters who are dedicated to making pots by hand, using time-honored skills and techniques of the past that are rapidly disappearing in this technological age. They shape each pot by hand, and freehand decorate in a variety of styles and designs created by Miranda Thomas. Miranda a renowned potter based in Vermont was born in New York, raised in Italy, Australia, and England. Her style is globally informed. She was introduced to pottery at the age of 16 and received a B.A. in Ceramics in England. She trained with the great master potters Michael Cardew CBE and Alan Caiger-Smith OBE. Miranda married the Irish furniture maker Charles Shackleton. Together they created their combined workshops and company ShackletonThomas. With their talented highly skilled team of potters, they share a passion for handwork. It is this handwork they believe gives each piece character, soul, and life. Her pottery is collected in thousands of homes, and she has had the honor of designing and making many diplomatic gifts for both the Clinton and Obama administrations and for The United Nations Associations. These include gifts and awards from former President Barack Obama, and UN Secretary Generals Ban Ki Moon, Kofi Annan, as well as former President Bill Clinton’s gift to Pope John Paul II. Thomas’s designs draw from the English countryside, as well as using symbolism and patterns from ancient Japanese, Middle Eastern, and Aboriginal designs, among other international influences. Thomas is a direct descendant of famed architect Arthur J. Davis, the interior designer for London’s Ritz Hotel, Royal Automobile Club, as well as the White Star ocean liners such as The Queen Mary, and Aquatania. Thomas received a B.A. in Ceramics from the West Surrey College of Art & Design in Farnham, England. After then training with Michael Cardew CBE and Alan Caiger-Smith OBE, she designed and started the pottery for Simon Pearce. Miranda Thomas is married to furniture maker Charles Shackleton, with whom she owns ShackletonThomas. They share a passion for creating high-quality, beautiful objects with simple, everyday uses, and for using handmade techniques to instill their pieces with character, soul, and life.