La Majolicana was born where two worlds meet—the shores of New Jersey and the sun-soaked ceramic tradition of Sicily.

I am Claudia Mandreucci Jaeger, American-born with deep Sicilian roots and a heart that has always belonged to the Mediterranean. My family remains in Sicily, and it was there, in Monreale, that I immersed myself in the ancient art of Majoliche—the vivid, intricate ceramic-painting tradition that has graced Sicilian tiles and vessels for centuries.

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After a season of change, I chose the sea. I began a new chapter at the beach in Mantoloking, New Jersey—and the sea gave back to me. Most of the shells I paint are gathered from the beach just across the street from my home, each one a small, quiet gift from the water.

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I carry those shells back to my studio and transform them using the bold patterns and colors of the Sicilian Majoliche tradition. Painting is my meditation, my stillness, my healing.

La Majolicana—the name itself—is my invention, a playful nod to my American identity merging with my Sicilian soul. It is folk art reimagined, tradition carried across an ocean and laid gently on the shore.