Simon Bowley studied ceramics at the Canberra School of Art from 1978-79 and set up a studio in Canberra. In 1984, he completed the Ceramics Certificate course at East Sydney Technical College and then spent a year teaching ceramics in remote schools in Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia with the aid of a grant from the Visual Arts Crafts Board of the Australia Council and the Aboriginal Arts Council. In 1986, he established a group workshop at the Kinka Pottery, Terrey Hills, with Pim Hodge, Susan Milne, Greg Stonehouse and Merran Woods. In 1991, he moved to Wildes Meadow, NSW, where he built an anagama kiln. During 1993, he worked for six months in Germany at Topferei Am Murmberg making salt glazed tableware and one off pieces. In 1995, he spent eight months at the Experimental Workshop of Ceramics, Coycoacan, Mexico. In 2002, he moved his studio to Moss Vale. From 1998-2009, he taught ceramics part time at Goulburn TAFE and, from 1991-2012, at Moss Vale TAFE. In 2013, he took up the position of studio pottery leader at Sturt Pottery in Mittagong. He makes functional stoneware decorated using wax resist, reduced lustre or underglaze pigments and also wood-fires some pieces. His mark is an incised 'SB'.