There’s a kind of magic to the Cape, in the way low tide unveils a hidden world of tide pools, waiting for curious little hands to explore. At dusk, the magic deepens as the sun reflects off the many lighthouses that dot the shifting shoreline, and a fresh salty breeze stirs a sense of nostalgia for childhood summers spent in this seaside haven. For clay artist Kristin McInnis, her creative process captures this effervescent spirit and distills it into pieces you can hold in your hands, from tiny lighthouse stud earrings to mugs glazed in the ocean’s hues.

A sense of creation is threaded through McInnis’s roots, surrounded by a family of makers who brought art into everyday life. “My Nana and my Mom sewed most of my sister’s and my clothing when we were kids, and my Nana also knit us sweaters—later making them for our own children. That sense of handmade care and creativity was always a part of my life and shaped the way I see art,” she shares. It was this same spirit of making that soon inspired her to begin designing pieces of her own.

For McInnis, her art first took shape in the form of handmade greeting cards, which she began “selling” to her family at just five years old. Before long, miniature art pieces claimed a large piece of her heart. “My dad built me a beautiful dollhouse, and my mom wallpapered each tiny room—it even had electricity! I started making polymer clay food to go inside, and before long, I was selling some of my creations to a local dollhouse shop,” she recalls. 

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