Where everything begins by hand

My name is DeLise, the name I was given at birth. 

It’s roots are Italian and French, born of the Latin Delicia: delight & pleasure.

I carried that name only until I was six, when circumstances of my childhood asked more of me than a young child should bear.

 I chose the name Maggie, and I’ve been living with that name ever since, personally and professionally. 

Most know me as Maggie St. Thomas, the photojournalist.
Since 1993, I’ve made a life capturing the world through a lens, touring, exhibiting, documenting music festivals and the arts, and publishing books and various forms of literature. My camera taught me how to see, and developed the courage in me to be. 

It shaped me.

But it was clay that led me back to myself. 

I began sculpting plates and mugs for my own table, pieces to be lived with, loved, and used. 

One afternoon, over tea, a friend wrapped their hand around a mug I’d made with a small pocket to cradle the tag of a tea bag. 

They asked if they could buy it. 

More requests followed. 

The idea found me before I ever planned for it. 

And so, DeLise Originals was born.

Each piece is skillfully crafted by hand, becoming a one of a kind handmade, work of art.
Functional art meant to be held, used, and passed down.

I work in small batches.
My mugs and plates are built with intention, and designed for those who understand the luxury of objects that feel like heirlooms for the moment they enter your home. 

As an artist, I’ve spent decades documenting the world.
As a ceramicist, I am finally building my own.

Welcome to DeLise Originals.
Where the name, and the work, remain what they have always been: original.