Jamie Santaniello was introduced to the world of art at an early age by her mother who was an artist and designer for Chrysler Corporation. By the age of 15 she was a recipient of Regional and National awards for her artwork in oils. She went on to college and studied fine art at Moore College of Art in Philadelphia. Marriage to her high school sweetheart, Frank, soon followed. After years of moving around, from Pennsylvania, Florida and Vermont, they settled in Waverly, an historic, rural town in northeastern Pennsylvania, and raised their two sons, Nicholas and Michael. During these years, Jamie returned to her studies in the fine arts at Marywood College in Scranton, Pennsylvania. While a student there she received the First Prize Scholarship Award from Kappa Pi, an International Honorary Art Fraternity for her collective works in oil painting. With only a hand full of credits needed to graduate with a BFA in Painting and a Minor in Ceramics, she left school temporarily to accept a commission by a local architect to design hand-painted ceramic tiles and stained glass for a very large kitchen in the home of a prominent local family. Simultaneously, Jamie and Frank were building their own home in Waverly and she decided not only to design the tile work but also to produce it. She purchased a large kiln and began to set up "shop" at home. She chose an ancient Italian technique known as “majolica” underglaze because of its extreme durability. Ultimately she painted the murals, decos and border tiles for the many areas of their home. Jamie's business of hand-painted tile started here and has been growing ever since.

The cottage industry she had started was growing and soon Waverly Tile went looking for a larger market. Jamie did not entirely leave Pennsylvania behind after relocating to California. Once there, she designed a beautifully executed hand-painted line of tile known as “The Pennsylvania Farm”, which is complete with mural landscapes of farm life, custom borders and decos of singular farm animals, people working in the fields, crops, apple trees, and much more. And all this is done in a charming, primitive art style reminiscent of a Grandma Moses style of painting. To reflect the French Provence style, Jamie designed another collection with the same theme, called “The Blue and Yellow Collection”. Both collections are successful up to this day.

A year later she designed another tile collection known as “Vineyards & Vines”, a very classic Italianesque line brimming with old world charm. This is a hugely popular tile collection depicting late 18th Century field workers picking, stomping, churning, and celebrating as they labor in the vineyards. A very extensive line having several murals, decos and borders to choose from. It is also available hand-carved and hand-painted on stone in both monochromatic colors and polychromatic colors. The background and field tile colors are a very subtle antiqued golden color.

A few more of the stone tile lines by Jamie S. that we will be showing on a cd/dvd are the “Classic Collection”, “The Pennsylvania Farm" & "Wildflowers”, “Eastern Stone”, “Santa Margarita Collection”, “Citrus Limona' ” and now "Vineyards & Vines". You will just have to see them for yourself on one of the Waverly Tile cd/dvd's or visit one of our representative showrooms. These tile and stone lines are designed to include all of the systems required to put entire jobs together (ex. murals, decos, borders of all sizes, fields and trim) without having to shop around for additional materials.

Prior to working with ceramic tile and stone, Jamie painted in oil, watercolor, and the encaustic (wax) mediums. Some of her paintings are on permanent exhibition in museums in Long Island, NY and in a Church very close to her heart. She has given much of her work as gifts to close friends and family. Jamie studied under Lee Everett, architect-watercolorist, and artist-professor Leland Wallin, a protege of Philip Pearlstein.

J. Santaniello has been executing custom designed work for both residential and commercial use in hand molded ceramic tile since 1993 and hand-carved stone since 1996 and continues to do so. If you ever make it to San Juan Capistrano, California you might like to see the expansive, hand painted, signature tile mural in the lobby of the Kaiser Permanente building there. It is an historically correct tile painting of the original San Juan Capistrano Mission depicting life as it might have been in 1815.

It is the intent and purpose of Jamie and her husband and partner Frank Santaniello of Waverly Tile, Inc. to enhance the spirit of each individual they encounter through their artwork and the principles by which they do business. Their hope is to have a positive affect on our society and our global village.