John was a full-time studio potter from 1974 through to 1997, when he began what he expected to be a short hiatus from the studio in order to focus on developing the Quest Gallery of Canadian Craftsmanship in Banff (which he owned and operated for many years) and The Avens Gallery in Canmore, which he sold in 2010. John is now back in the pottery studio after retiring from serving as mayor for the Town of Canmore.
His original training with clay took place in Ontario from 1971-1974, when he apprenticed with Diane Creber and Ken Cumberland at Wilton Pottery; and studied under Robin Hopper, Roman Bartkiw, and Roger Kerslake at Georgian College.
John relocated to Alberta in 1975 with his wife Lynn, where he shared workspace with Tony Bloom at Stonecrop Studios for many years. He opened Notch Hill Pottery in the interior of British Columbia in 1980, which he & Lynn operated for several years prior to returning to Canmore in 1985.
John worked out of Stonecrop again until 1991, when he opened his own pottery in Canmore - 'of Cabbages & Kings'. John's daughter Katie, who has been making her living as a production potter since 2005, now runs the studio. Together, she and John work on several studio lines.
Photo by Alexis McKeown
