Barry Brickell A Head of Steam Author:Christine Leov-Lealand Barry Brickell is the creator and director of Driving Creek Railway and Potteries, the uniquely personal theme ark at Coromandel which is a magnet for tens of thousands of visitors each year. As one of New Zealand's best-known potters, Barry Brickell has literally helped shape the country's crafts scene. With Colin McCahon, he was in the vang... more »uard of the first generation of New Zealand artists whose inspiration came from the land, light and people of his own country, ignoring overseas influences. For Brickell the New Zealand environment was not only legitimate but essential. He never had an urge for the great Overseas Experience. A man of phenomenal physical, intellectual and creative energy, he has spent more than two decades designing and building viaducts, track and rolling stock, kilns for himself and others, and planting native trees. Brickell lives close to nature, working his artistic and industrial obsessions into material forms for the world to enjoy. A complex and uncompromising individual, Barry Brickell epitomizes the adaptable and indomitable New Zealand spirit. "I am perhaps reinventing the industrial revolution," he states, "but with a conservational rather than an exploitive twist." Christine Leov-Dealand takes a refreshingly original approach to her subject, weaving "Brickelldom" themes of pottery, sculpture, botany, conservation, rail, steam and self-sufficiency into a seamless narrative that make this biography of a significant contemporary New Zealander a highly entertaining read. The New Zealand Lives series features significant men and women from many fields and historical periods. These short biographies are authoritative yet accessible - useful for everyone interested in the colorful panoramas of Aotearoa's unique tapestry.« less