helmutbreckwoldt
helmutbreckwoldt
| Forum role | Member since | Last activity | Topics created | Replies created |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Member | Mar 24, 2018 (8 years) |
- | 1 | 0 |
- Forum role
- Member
- Member since
Mar 24, 2018 (8 years)
- Last activity
- -
- Topics created
- 1
- Replies created
- 0
Bio
His life in Brief:
Helmut Breckwoldt was born in Hamburg, Germany in 1924, and showed an early interest in drawing & painting.
Helmut was born of artistic parents, his mother Erna being a professional Photographer and his father Holm, an Architect.
After finishing high school, Helmut studied Drafting & Design, and was accepted into the Hamburg School of Art.
At age 18 his life was interrupted when he was conscripted into the army, spending 3 years in Russia. Fortunately he was spared front line duty as a soldier and served as a Draftsman, mainly drawing and translating maps.
The family endured extreme hardship during the war, and when Helmut returned to them he worked as an illustrator for newspapers to support his mother and sister Gesa.
In 1952 Helmut immigrated to Cowra in NSW, Australia with a German building company.
It was here that he met his future wife Gwen.
Helmut married Gwen in Monto and with their young family moved to Gladstone Qld. in 1967. He soon got involved with the locals and was able to indulge his great love of the sea and the surrounding islands.
The first thing you would notice about Helmut would be his friendly grin.
His style was to live and let live.
Helmut was a warm and affectionate man who revelled in the natural world.
Imagine his joy coming to a land that was open, warm and lush after the cold and often darker climate of Germany.
His fascination with painting ramshackle old Queensland homesteads with rusting iron roofs, was perhaps not only that they were imbued with texture and lively tilt, but maybe also that it was something he had not grown up with... something free and abandoned, in contrast with the tight constraints of European culture.
He sought always for 'character' in his subject matter- be it human or otherwise. Because character is interesting and character makes us unique. Helmut admired the person who could 'Be themselves" without fear, because that is being honest and sincere.
He was driven to create. There was always something cooking in his imagination, be it a painting, a sculpture, a building or adding to his garden landscape. He created for the sheer pleasure it brought him and if it brings pleasure to others, that’s a bonus !
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