Goose Nest Pottery
Pittsgrove, NJ
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Janice Chassier received her Masters of Studio Ceramics from Hood College in Frederick, Maryland after returning to clay when her children were raised. Janice is a retired elementary art and school teacher. Her life with the younger students has greatly influenced her work.

In addition, Janice Chassier has spent a lot of time in the marshes of South Jersey with her husband, and she discovered a whole new world; one alive with layers of life. The tidal marsh is filled with life changing drastically from dawn to dark. This constant change of landscape and colors is also what directs her work.

Whether Janice is throwing on the potter’s wheel making functional wares, sculpting her waterfowl, which are many times children, or hand-building forms, colored clays are her newest surface decoration. Janice enjoys the intentional manipulation of the different clays, the overlapping colors and textures, and most importantly, layering the clay. Sometimes Janice cuts thin colored clay slabs, similar to elementary students cutting construction paper, to make simple pictures, using a clay collage method. Many pieces are left unglazed to contrast the sheen of the glazed interiors.