Nancy Tichborne

New Zealand watercolor artist (1942–2023)

Nancy Tichborne

Born|

Nancy Margaret Keedwell

(1942-08-27)27 August 1942

Levin, New Zealand

Died| 10 February 2023(2023-02-10) (aged 80)

Akaroa, New Zealand

Spouse|

Bryan Tichborne

(m. 1965)​

Children| 3
Relatives| Helen Leach (sister)

Nancy Margaret Tichborne (née Keedwell; 27 August 1942 – 10 February 2023) was a New Zealand watercolour artist.[1] She specialised in paintings of flowers; her work has appeared on calendars, diaries, cards and postage stamps in New Zealand and internationally.[2][3]

## Biography

[edit]

Tichborne was born in Levin on 27 August 1942 to Peggy (née Watkins) and Harvey Keedwell,[4] and grew up in Hāwera, in the North Island of New Zealand.[1] She was the second of three daughters; her sisters were Mary Browne, a cookbook writer, and the food anthropologist Helen Leach.[1] In 1952, the family moved to Dunedin and Tichborne attended Otago Girls' High School.[5] On leaving high school, she went to London on a scholarship and studied art at St Martin's School of Art from 1960 to 1962.[1][4] In 1964, she returned to Dunedin for a short time and her work was included in an exhibition there.[5] She then went on to work in Hong Kong as a fashion illustrator for the South China Morning Post and a fashion designer for an American fashion house between 1964 and 1965, before spending the next five years in England and Wales.[1][5]

In 1970, Tichborne returned to New Zealand and settled in Rotorua. She worked part-time as an art teacher and collaborated with her sisters Helen Leach and Mary Browne on a series of cookbooks, providing the watercolour artwork for them.[1] In 1984, Tichborne and her husband Bryan founded the New Zealand Calendar Company, and started producing calendars with a New Zealand focus.[1][5] Their first calendar featured fishing flies, and later titles featured flowers and cats.[1] Their 39th and last calendar was produced in 2010.[5]

In 1997, Tichborne designed a series of postage stamps and a first day cover for New Zealand Post depicting vineyards of New Zealand.[6] Her artwork was also used on stamps of Bhutan and the Pitcairn Islands.[5] In the 1990s, Tichborne released a series of DVDs on watercolour technique.[7]

### Recognition

[edit]

In 2007, Tichborne was appointed patron of Watercolour New Zealand.[1][8] She remained in that position for 12 years.[5]

### Personal life and death

[edit]

In 1963, Tichborne met Bryan Tichborne—at that time a soldier undertaking officer training at Sandhurst—in Killarney, Ireland, and the couple married in Hong Kong in 1965.[5] They had three sons.[1] In 1994, the couple moved to a property at French Farm, near Akaroa in Canterbury. Tichborne established a garden there that in 2011 was designated a Garden of Significance by the New Zealand Gardens Trust.[1] The couple subsequently moved to a smaller property in Akaroa.[2]

Tichborne died at her home in Akaroa on 10 February 2023, at the age of 80.[5][9]

## Publications

[edit]

* Browne, M., Tichborne, N., & Leach, H. M. (1980). The cook's garden: For cooks who garden and gardeners who cook. Wellington: Reed.[10]
* Burton, D., Tichborne, N., & Ashton, J. (1983). Two hundred years of New Zealand food and cookery. Wellington: Reed.[11]
* Browne, M., Leach, H. M., & Tichborne, N. (1983). The Australian bread book. Sydney: Doubleday Australia.[12]
* Leach, H. M., & Tichborne, N. (1984). 1,000 years of gardening in New Zealand. Wellington N.Z.: Reed.[13]
* Burton, D., & Tichborne, N. (1987). New Zealand food & cookery. Auckland, N.Z.: Mural Books.[14]
* Burton, D., & Tichborne, N. (1987). David Burton's New Zealand food and cookery. Auckland, N.Z: David Bateman.[15]
* Browne, M., Leach, H., & Tichborne, N. (1987). More from the cook's garden. Auckland: Reed Methuen.[16]
* Browne, M., Leach, H. M., & Tichborne, N. (1989). The cook's bread book. Auckland N.Z.: Heinemann Reed.[17]
* Tichborne, N., & Tichborne, B. (1990). Anglers' paradise: Favourite fishing waters of New Zealand and the flies to fish them with. Auckland, N.Z: Bush Press.[18]
* Browne, M., Leach, H. H. M., & Tichborne, N. (1996). The New Zealand bread book. Godwit: Auckland, N.Z.[19]
* Tichborne, N. (1999). Nancy Tichborne's flowers. Auckland, N.Z: Godwit.[20]
* Browne, M., Tichborne, N., & Leach, H. M. (2000). The cook's salad garden. Milsons Point, N.S.W: Random House Australia.[21]
* Tichborne, N. (2000). Nancy Tichborne's cats. Auckland: Godwit.[22]
* Browne, M., Leach, H. M., & Tichborne, N. (2001). The cook's herb garden. Auckland, N.Z: Godwit.[23]
* Tichborne, N. (2008). Nancy Tichborne's watercolour world: The creative process explored. Akaroa, N.Z: New Zealand Calendar Company Ltd.[24]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Nancy Tichborne's new start". Stuff. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
2. ^ a b Newth, Kim (27 April 2018). "Watercolour artist Nancy Tichborne puts down new roots". Stuff. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
3. ^ "Loading... | Collections Online - Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa". collections.tepapa.govt.nz. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
4. ^ a b Taylor, Alister, ed. (2001). New Zealand Who's Who Aotearoa 2001. Auckland: Alister Taylor Publishers. p. 873\. ISSN 1172-9813.
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Life story: Artist Nancy Tichborne inspired many through her art and generous spirit". The Press. 25 February 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
6. ^ "New Zealand Vineyards". New Zealand Post Stamps. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
7. ^ "Page 1 of 1 | Items | National Library of New Zealand | National Library of New Zealand". natlib.govt.nz. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
8. ^ "Tichborne, Nancy". www.watercolournewzealand.nz. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
9. ^ "Nancy Tichborne obituary". The Press. 13 February 2023. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
10. ^ Browne, Mary; Leach, Helen May; Tichborne, Nancy (1980). The cook's garden : for cooks who garden and gardeners who cook. Auckland [N.Z.] : Reed. ISBN 978-0-589-01260-1.
11. ^ Burton, David; Tichborne, Nancy; Ashton, John (1983). Two hundred years of New Zealand food and cookery. Wellington: Reed. ISBN 978-0-589-01434-6. OCLC 59243967.
12. ^ Browne, Mary; Leach, H. M; Tichborne, Nancy (1983). The Australian bread book. Sydney: Doubleday Australia. ISBN 978-0-86824-106-7. OCLC 225911206.
13. ^ Leach, H. M; Tichborne, Nancy (1984). 1,000 years of gardening in New Zealand. Wellington [N.Z.: Reed. ISBN 978-0-589-01488-9. OCLC 12384744.
14. ^ Burton, David; Tichborne, Nancy (1987). New Zealand food & cookery. Auckland, N.Z.: Mural Books. ISBN 978-0-9597795-1-6. OCLC 154642836.
15. ^ Burton, David; Tichborne, Nancy (1987). David Burton's New Zealand food and cookery. Auckland, N.Z.: David Bateman. ISBN 978-1-86953-728-9. OCLC 813169300.
16. ^ Browne, Mary; Leach, Helen; Tichborne, Nancy (1987). More from the cook's garden. Auckland: Reed Methuen. ISBN 978-0-7900-0015-2. OCLC 993858489.
17. ^ Browne, Mary; Leach, H. M; Tichborne, Nancy (1989). The cook's bread book. Auckland [N.Z.: Heinemann Reed. ISBN 978-0-7900-0090-9. OCLC 154614276.
18. ^ Tichborne, Nancy; Tichborne, Bryan (1990). Anglers' paradise: favourite fishing waters of New Zealand and the flies to fish them with. Auckland, N.Z.: Bush Press. ISBN 978-0-908608-50-8. OCLC 154625483.
19. ^ Browne, Mary; Leach, Helen (Helen May); Tichborne, Nancy; Leach, H. M; Tichborne, Nancy (1996). The New Zealand bread book. Godwit: Auckland, N.Z. ISBN 978-0-908877-92-8. OCLC 861525583.
20. ^ Tichborne, Nancy (1999). Nancy Tichborne's flowers. Auckland, N.Z.: Godwit. ISBN 978-1-86962-054-7. OCLC 45118398.
21. ^ Browne, Mary; Tichborne, Nancy; Leach, H. M (2000). The cook's salad garden. Milsons Point, N.S.W.: Random House Australia. ISBN 978-1-74051-419-4. OCLC 222795801.
22. ^ Tichborne, Nancy (2000). Nancy Tichborne's cats. Auckland: Godwit. ISBN 978-1-86962-074-5. OCLC 276723671.
23. ^ Browne, Mary; Leach, H. M; Tichborne, Nancy (2001). The cook's herb garden. Auckland, N.Z.: Godwit. ISBN 978-1-86962-041-7. OCLC 155515208.
24. ^ Tichborne, Nancy (2008). Nancy Tichborne's watercolour world: the creative process explored. Akaroa, N.Z.: New Zealand Calendar Company Ltd. ISBN 978-0-9597880-8-2. OCLC 228408252.

Authority control databases

International|

* FAST
* ISNI
* VIAF
* WorldCat

National|

* United States
* Australia

Artists|

* New Zealand Artists

People|

* Trove

Other|

* Te Papa (New Zealand)

*[m.]: married