John Steele’s journey with clay began in the mid-1970s, working as a potter in the small village of Rhodes, nestled in the Witteberge Mountains of South Africa. With no electricity in the area, every piece was shaped on a kick wheel and fired to white heat using wood and engine oil as fuel.

 

In the mid-1980s, the Steele family relocated to Mthatha in the Transkei, where John spent the next decade managing the Ikhwezi Lokusa Pottery. Their next move took them to East London, where John began lecturing in Ceramics and Art Theory at what is today the Walter Sisulu University Department of Fine Art.

 

His home studio, CLAYSTATIONZA, now serves as a peaceful space where he continues to enjoy and explore the art of ceramics.

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