John Anthony Wilhelm was born in East London, South Africa in 1947 and attended Florida Primary and Florida Park High School in Johannesburg. From 1977 to 1979, at the age of 30, he became a full-time student at Natal University, Pietermaritzburg (non-degree). 1980 - 1982 he was apprenticed to Bryan Haden in Gordon’s Bay and specialized in wood-fired reduction functional ware. In 1981 he started
lecturing part-time at the Stellenbosch Technical College until 1982. At the same time he started Mill Street Pottery in Strand with partner, Verena Baraga, and started working with slip decorated functional ware. Chris Silverston from the Potter’s Shop in Kalk Bay introduced him to underglaze earthenware colours and in 1989 he had his first one-man exhibition in her gallery. He now produces high fired earthenware in plain colours decorated with stamps featuring a bee or frog (and many other designs), as well as slipdecorated stoneware. He makes pieces over mushroom moulds and combined with throwing, form pedestal pieces. He is married to Linda and they have one daughter, Alice. His hobbies include reading, sudoku, cooking and fishing! AWARDS
1984 Work accepted for the Fletcher Brownbuilt Pottery Exhibition, New Zealand
1989 Joint winner of Corobrick Award, Western Cape Region
1990 Winner of National Ceramics Quarterly Maarten Zaalberg
Award for best hand-thrown domestic ware
1992 Winner of First National Bank Award for Functional Ware at
first Corobrick National Biennial held in Pretoria
1993 Selector for Western Cape Regional Exhibition
1994 Selected by Craft Council of South Africa to exhibit at the
South African High Commission in London
1995 Highly Commended at Western Cape Regional Exhibition
1998 Selector for Western Cape Regional Exhibition
1999 National Merit Award at the 1999 National Ceramic
Exhibition, Cape Town
2000 Merit Award at the Western Cape Regional Exhibition, Cape Town
2001 Guest potter at Eastern Cape Regional
2002 Merit Award, African Earth Exhibition, Johannesburg
2004 Merit Award, Cape Regional Ceramics Exhibition
2005 Renault Artist
2006 Renault Artist - at Everard Read Gallery
2007 Merit Award Western Cape Regional Exhibition, Cape Town
