Thomas is a multi talented artist producing ceramics , painting , photography and fabric design he also writes and illustrates his childrens books .
Thomas was born on the farm Hilaritas ( it was a home birth ) in the district of Fauresmith a small hamlet in the Southern Free State. His schooling was mainly in Bloemfontein . He studied at the Bloemfontein Teachers training College, the University of Cape Town and the University of Natal in Pietermaritzburg from which he holds a Masters Degree in Art .
The lack lustre daysof his high school years where art did not feature at all prompted an interest in the world of dance and he decided to study ballet . Even above all the ridicule he found a haven for his creativity choreographing some of his own dances and designing costumes. During his first year of teaching he was offered a bursary by the University of Cape Town to join their ballet company the following year .Under the directorship of Dulcie Howes they brought ballet to the masses dancing in small towns such as De Doorns one tour started in Cape Town and ended in Kitwe in then Northen Rhodesia on the border of the Congo . An unforgettable experience.
After Cape Town he returned to teaching , still dancing in some productions . His move to Pietermaritzburg
brought the opportunity to study art at the then University of Natal after which he taught art at high school level for a while when he was promoted to lecture art at the Durban Teachers training college and eventually became head of department and senior lecturer in ceramics respectively at the Central University of Technology in Bloemfontein . Now retired from the academic world he devotes most of his time to his Art
