Jane Goslin Peiser

Penland, NC | In Memoriam

Artist Statement: Jane Peiser is known for multi colored porcelain hand build forms including small sculptures. She used this process to create intricate patterns and subtle color gradations. This process results in unique pieces of visually complex integral patterns.  Often pattern gives way to representational scenes filled with flowers and animals. She uses relief pieces of either solid colored clay or patterns to add another dimension to her work.  Most of her work is salt glazed. “I’m looking back on 75 years of life on this amazing earth, 45 years in which it has been my great privilege to earn a living making pottery. I love it when people sing together, laugh together, show me the pictures in their wallets… I feel a yearning for the wonderful side of human nature that I cannot explain, but when it appears in an occasional piece that I have made, it’s a good, good, day in the studio.”

Obituary: Jane Goslin Peiser passed away at her home in Penland, NC on February 23, 2022, after a short illness. She was 89. Jane was born October 12, 1932 to Marian and Willard E. Goslin in St. Louis Missouri. Her father’s work as a municipal superintendent of schools took the family across the United States and later on a trip around the world when her father was blacklisted for attempting to integrate the Pasadena, CA school system. Jane told stories of hunting and fishing in the Ozark mountains with her father, who grew up on a farm. Jane earned a Bachelors of Science in Education from George Peabody University (now Vanderbuilt) and a Masters of Science in Education from Illinois Institute of Technology. While teaching high school in Chicago she painted and married design house employee and recent Army basic training graduate Mark Curtis Peiser. Jane experimented with clay, and joined an “art collective”. Mark joined the new residency program at Penland School of Crafts in 1967, then Jane in 1968. They had a daughter, built a home and studios in Mitchell County, and began careers as professional craftspeople. Jane’s endless invention with pottery using self-taught techniques and unique materials featured kaleidoscopic patterns and people, animals, and landscapes of the imagination all exploding with color and movement. She produced and sold her pottery for decades and taught many workshops. She was involved with some notable NC “art collectives”, including Southern Highland Handicrafts Guild, Toe River Arts Council, Piedmont Craftsmen, and Ariel Gallery. Her work is held in collections such as the Smithsonian and White House, though used and enjoyed by many more at home.

Jane’s constant action and attention to detail also grew lush, jewel-toned gardens. She made clothes, weavings, and hooked rugs all with her unique colors and imagery. She joined political, social, and professional projects of all sorts and was notoriously practical, energetic, and generous. She treated every person she met with dignity. She leaves behind a host of friends who appreciated her gentle, generous spirit, her unpretentious ways, and her highly original art. Jane is also survived by her daughter Martha and former husband Mark. There will be an informal gathering in April to remember her.

Exhibiting Member from 1969-2022.