L'esperance Tile Works - Stories from the Studio - 1979 - 2010

Since this week marks the 31st Anniversary of L'esperance Tile Works, I thought I'd share a bit of my ancient history! I knew from an early age that I wanted to be my own boss and that clay would be my creative outlet. Who can say where hard work and stubbornness rule the day or how luck plays a part in the direction of one's life?


However I got there, I finished my BFA in Ceramic Art at Alfred University's College of Ceramics, and headed off to The Moravian Pottery and Tile Works in Doylestown, PA. It took me all of 1 hour to make the decision to spend the rest of my life making tiles....and I've been able to keep to that decision for 31 years, so far....and counting.



I headed back home and had a dba - L'esperance Tile Works - within two weeks. My first tiles were influenced mainly by the style of Henry Mercer, who founded The Moravian Tile Works. Following his lead of using local clay, I dug my clay from an out-cropping that borders along the Hudson River, just north of my hometown of Lansingburgh, NY. It's a red brick terra cotta, and was the only clay that was used in the studio for the first two years.

In 3 years I had 3 different studio spaces, but ended up in Albany, NY for the next 18 years.

That's all for now.....more to come. And if you'd like to check out my post that tells where the name L'esperance came from, find it here.