Though she has had a true love of the creative process for as long as she could handle the required materials, Hillary started her formal art training with a photography class at the Williston Northampton School under the tutleage of Ed Hing. It was at Williston that she got her first taste of Italy, traveling there with a group of photography students. This trip ignited a lifelong love to the art and culture of Italy.

At Elmira College, she sampled many more forms of media: bronze cast, painting, ceramics, and drawing and in her undergraduate course of study, was resolute in the fact that she would dedicate her life to art.

In graduate school, she studied with the wonderful Nan Freeman and Ethan Murrow further solidifying her devotion to her craft, and also meeting her husband Andrew, also an MFA candidate.

Since then, she has lived in service of the arts, working with various artists, collaborating and creating. Hillary is ¼ or Pecorino Gallery, a collaborative formed with Andrew Slezak, Taylor Apostol, and Evan Morse. They will debut Pecorino Gallery during the 2026 installment of Art Basel week in Miami Beach at Aqua Art Fair.