David Smith was born in Braunton, Devon, United Kingdom, and came to Australia with his family at an early age. He studied ceramics with Hatton Beck at the Central Technical College (CTC), Brisbane from 1951 to 1952 when Carl McConnell was a fellow student. During the 1950s he set up a small commercial pottery for slip-cast wares under his house in Bulimba, where he used a small Wright electric kiln. Larger quantities of his wares were fired in Mary Brandis’s kiln in Buranda. Later he had a studio in a converted shop in Oxford Street, Bulimba, for many years. In 1955 he submitted examples of his production pottery to an exhibition at Anthony Hordens, Sydney, which was organised by the Ceramic and Fine Art Wares Association. Smith’s work, together with the work of three other potters, was selected for the 1955 International Academy of Ceramics Exhibition in Cannes, France. He taught privately and relieved Hatton Beck at the CTC on several occasions in the late 1950s. Smith gave up his pottery business when he was appointed a full-time teacher of pottery at the CTC after the departure of Carl McConnell in late 1963.
Smith was commissioned by the Queensland Government to make a presentation piece to the Governor of Queensland, Sir Henry Abel Smith (1958-66) and also to Sir Zelman Cowan when he was made Governor General of Australia in 1977. In 1972 the Art Branch ceased connection with the CTC and Smith continued to teach within the TAFE system first at Coorparoo and then at South Brisbane before retiring in 1987. He contionued to teach privately and in his retirement developed an interest in photographic microscopy. Smith had a limited exhibition profile and he held two solo exhibitions with the Queensland Potters Association, Brisbane.
Research Curator, Queensland Heritage, Queensland Art Gallery.
