Thomas Vermeulen

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
 

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