David Brokenshire

David Brokenshire
Born David Serpell Brokenshire
(1925-04-28)28 April 1925
Thames, New Zealand
Died 26 April 2014(2014-04-26) (aged 88)
Christchurch, New Zealand
Education Auckland University College
Known for Architecture, pottery

David Serpell Brokenshire (28 April 1925 – 26 April 2014) was a New Zealand architect and potter.[1]

Early life

Born in Thames in 1925, the son of a plumber,[2] Brokenshire entered the RNZAF in 1943.[3] He saw active service in the Pacific,[2] and attained the rank of flying officer in 1945.[4]

Architecture

The Hermitage Hotel, Mount Cook Village, with the octagonal "Panorama Room" restaurant on left

In 1946, he began studying architecture at the Auckland University College School of Architecture, graduating in 1952.[3] He worked briefly for the Christchurch City Council before working with Dunedin firm Miller, White and Dunn on buildings at the University of Otago. He then moved to Christchurch-based architects Hall and Mackenzie, where he worked on the new Hermitage Hotel at Mount Cook Village, notably designing its octagonal restaurant, and various buildings for the new Ilam campus of the University of Canterbury, including the registry.[2]

Pottery

He started working with pottery in 1951, alongside his wife Noeline, and became a full-time potter in 1979.[5] He began potting by throwing on a wheel but following a workshop with Patricia Perrin in the early 1960s, who was teaching a hammer and anvil technique using large-scale coils, Brokenshire began making work through hand building.[6]:139 Hand building suited Brokenshire's architectural background, enabling him to build a piece steadily to whatever scale he desired.[6]:139 Brokenshire also incorporated Māori motifs into his work, including modelling some pieces on Māori anchor stones.[6]:135, 139

His work is held in the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa,[7] the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu,[8] and the International Museum of Ceramics in Faenza, Italy.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 Blumhardt, Doreen (1981). Craft New Zealand: The art of the craftsman. Auckland: A.H. & A.W. Reed. p. 281. ISBN 0589013432.
  2. 1 2 3 Crean, Mike (28 June 2014). "Creativity at artist's core". The Press. p. 14.
  3. 1 2 Cape, Peter (1969). Artists and Craftsmen in New Zealand. Auckland, London: Collins. pp. 15–20.
  4. ↑ "New Zealand, World War II appointments, promotions, transfers and resignations, 1939–1945". Ancestry.com. 2014. Retrieved 7 February 2015. (subscription required (help)).
  5. ↑ Elliot, Moyra. "Obituary - David Brokenshire". Cone Ten and Descending. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  6. 1 2 3 Elliott, Moyra; Skinner, Damian (2009). Conetendown : studio pottery in New Zealand, 1945-1980. Auckland: David Bateman Ltd. ISBN 9781869537319.
  7. ↑ "Untitled [David Brokenshire, leaf-shaped pot]". Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  8. ↑ Milburn, Felicity. "DAVID BROKENSHIRE 1925 - 2014". Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu. Retrieved 3 December 2014.

External links

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