Meet the Team
Angela Tilley
FOUNDER
Angela is a 26-year United States Navy veteran, retiring in 2017 at the rank of Senior Chief Petty Officer. During her service, she spent over nine years overseas — with tours in Italy, Bahrain, Germany, and Iraq.
After a deployment to Iraq, Angela discovered pottery and it changed her life. She began taking lessons in 2011, and continued while stationed in Germany, where she explored porcelain and Raku — a technique involving pieces fired at 1,800°F and then placed in a reduction environment to create unexpected surface decoration.
Back in the United States, Angela began teaching wheel throwing at the D'Art Center and The Hermitage Museum and Gardens, and by 2016 was selling her work at shows and galleries under the name Angeltil Pottery. In 2018, she opened All Hands Pottery Studio in Norfolk, VA — a space built on the belief that clay and art have real therapeutic and healing power, and that creativity belongs to everyone regardless of skill level or background.
Angela is a member of the Ceramic Designers Association of Virginia and is passionate about art, community outreach, and volunteerism. She lives in Norfolk with her husband Mark and their three rescue dogs, Nancy, Brian, and Gunner.
Studio Staff
Studio Manager and Instructor
Lindsay spent 12 years teaching high school art before joining All Hands as both an instructor and studio manager. She's passionate about building confidence as much as building skills, and she creates the kind of environment where students feel comfortable trying things, getting it wrong, and figuring it out anyway. Creative freedom isn't a side note in her classes — it's the whole point. She wants students to leave with their own voice, not just a finished piece.
Lindsay Roberts
Hannah
Studio Monitor, Kiln Tech
Steve
Studio Monitor
Karen
Class Assistant
MeKayla
Studio Monitor, Kiln Tech
Teresa
Studio Monitor
Alyssa Ronan
Studio Monitor, Glaze Tech
Sav
Studio Monitor
Charlene C.
Studio Monitor
Phyllis
Studio Monitor
Instructors
Brian Smith
Brian discovered pottery at a young age and has spent years learning from talented artists across disciplines. His work draws inspiration from glass blowing and woodworking, and he's always experimenting with new techniques and media. Brian teaches Monday classes at All Hands and loves sharing his process with students.
Angie Tripp
Angie has been shaping clay and the people around her for years. Her teaching is hands-on and patient — she'll reframe a technique as many times as it takes until it clicks. She knows pottery demands as much persistence as skill, and she meets students where they are. Her own work is whimsical, functional, and distinctly hers. Outside the studio you'll find her at the beach, in the garden, on the pickleball court, or mid-home-improvement project. She brings that same full commitment to her students.
Lois Sharpe
Lois has spent over 30 years as a full-time studio potter, studying under masters of the craft and presenting at the National Potters Council Conference in 2007, where she introduced her signature barnacle glaze. Her work has grown from simple forms into intricate sculpted originals, each built with attention to form, function, and beauty.
Originally based in Durham, NC, Lois recently relocated to Virginia Beach to be closer to her grandchildren — and had her new studio running almost immediately. She brings that same momentum to teaching, and hopes every student leaves with a little more love for clay than they walked in with.
