A visual artist, potter, painter, sculpture and teacher. He studied at Scarborough College of Art and Exeter College of Art. He honed his ceramics working in pottery production in Devon, Cornwall and Somerset. His work has been exhibited since 1979 in the UK and in the USA, but his first solo show was in 1990 at Keramik-Museum of Frechen, Keramik-Museum of Kellinghusen, and Kreissparkasse, Hannover.
In 1988-1993 he did a lecture tour of California, Arizona. Workshop for Association of Californian Ceramic Artists, San Francisco & Azusa Pacific College, Los Angeles. California, San Diego and New York. After lecturing at Falmouth School of Art, Middlemiss became a full time ceramics tutor 1995-2005 . Later teaching ceramics in Further Education at Brunel University 2012-18.
His ceramic work can be found in public collections and museums around the world. Over a career of 40 years he has had many solo exhibitions in Britain, Germany, France, Holland, Belgium, Italy, Switzerland, the Middle East, America, Taiwan, Japan, Korea and New Zealand.
Prizes:
Gold Medal -13th Biennale, Vallauris (F)1992.
Silver Medal – Kutani International Ceramics Competition (J)1997
Honourable Mentions – Mino Triennale, Zagreb Triennale.
Member of International Academy of Ceramics – Prague 1994
Collections include Keramion, Kestner and Cologne museums.
‘At art school I never stayed in one department for very long and it was only after leaving college that I chose to work in clay. My earliest ceramics were functional ware but I always wanted to make sculptural ceramics. For over twenty years I focused on this and made a living for my young family selling work around the world and making lecture trips to the USA and Germany. The work received international awards. Themes in my work in the 1990’s took me into land art, painting and workshops in education.’
Presently Jon Middlemiss paints and works in pastels.
