Painting Thompson Square, Windsor

Thompson Square, the oldest public town square in Australia,  is a charming and unique relic of the colonial Georgian era Sydney. It is the only town square remaining from the original five ‘Macquarie towns’ planned and designed by Governor Lachlan Macquarie .
This Precinct is listed on the Register of the National Estate, the National Trust and also on the NSW State Heritage Register as being of State heritage significance.

Most of the buildings in Thompson Square are regarded as of crucial historical and architectural merit. 

Unfortunately the charm of Thompson Square has been compromised by approach roads dissecting the central grassy reserve into two irregular 'wedges', however it still retains the village square character originally intended by Macquarie.    

Starting a plein air oil painting of Thompson Square, Windsor
oil on canvas 25 x 152cm

So, naturally, the NSW government in its infinite wisdom is planning to forever remove the potential of fully restoring the original Thompson Square. 

Starting a plein air oil painting of Thompson Square, Windsor
oil on canvas 25 x 152cm

The proposed replacement of the historic Windsor Bridge will see, not only the destruction of the current bridge, but also, a major arterial road bulldozed through historic Thompson Square.

Half-way through my plein air oil painting of
Thompson Square, Windsor
oil on canvas 25 x 152cm

 Windsor Bridge is the oldest existing bridge crossing the Hawkesbury River. The caisson deck supports are original and over 130 years old. It is the . It was designed by the Public Works Department and constructed, between 1872-1874, by contractors Andrew Turnbull and William K. Dixon.

Half-way through my plein air oil painting of
Thompson Square, Windsor
oil on canvas 25 x 152cm

A plaque that was placed on the bridge to celebrate Australia's Bicentenary quoting the then Minister for Public Works John Sutherland, who opened the bridge in 1874, states ironically:

I hope this bridge will last longer than the life of the youngest child who passes over it today.

Half-way through my plein air oil painting of
Thompson Square, Windsor
oil on canvas 25 x 152cm

The Roads and Maritime Services (or the artist formerly known as the RTA) wants to demolish the Windsor Bridge and build a new modern structure through the historic Thompson Square precinct, instead of  other proposed Hawkesbury River crossings, including a much more sensible by-pass option.

Half-way through my plein air oil painting of
Thompson Square, Windsor
oil on canvas 25 x 152cm

 This will permanently destroy the heritage value of the area,affect tourism, restrict access and damage the economic viability of Windsor.

Half-way through my plein air oil painting of
Thompson Square, Windsor
oil on canvas 25 x 152cm

Australia's heritage is under threat.

Half-way through my plein air oil painting of
Thompson Square, Windsor
oil on canvas 25 x 152cm

Again!

Half-way through my plein air oil painting of
Thompson Square, Windsor
oil on canvas 25 x 152cm

There are so many lovely viewpoints of the bridge, park, river and Georgian architecture that I found it difficult to choose!

Half-way through my plein air oil painting of
Thompson Square, Windsor
oil on canvas 25 x 152cm

I decided to paint a panoramic canvas from the "Doctor's House" on the far left to the "School of Arts" building over the road on the right, with the lovely park in the centre.

Half-way through my plein air oil painting of
Thompson Square, Windsor
oil on canvas 25 x 152cm

The historic Windsor bridge, just to the right of the "Doctor's House" is linking the middle distance to the background, and the Hawkesbury river can just be glimpsed between the trees.

The artist painting Thompson Square, Windsor
oil on canvas 25 x 152cm

 If you also think putting an arterial road through the oldest town square in Australia is unacceptable, please like the CAWB FB page.

Please also come to the Rally at noon Sunday 21st July , and help to send a clear message! It will be a day of protest, with keynote speakers including Green Bans legend Jack Mundey, as well as celebration, with live music and entertainment.

Related articles

• Calls for inquiry into NSW heritage bridge (news.com.au)

Painters and dockers - Artist in Residence on the tall ship 'James Craig' Part 2

 Starting my plein air painting of  "Painters with 'James Craig ' in Garden Island dry dock" 

 I had originally stored my paints, brushes, canvases, table, chair and easel in the deckhouse of the James Craig, but I realised that the ritual of unlocking and sorting through all my stuff wasted too much time. Now I keep the half-finished canvases on the 'tween deck of the James Craig, and leave the table and easel in a corner on the floor of the dry dock.

 unfinished plein air painting of  "Painters with 'James Craig ' in Garden Island dry dock"

 It's quite a hike down from the ship to the floor of the dry dock.

 unfinished plein air painting of  "Painters with 'James Craig ' in Garden Island dry dock" 

 I choose a position where the ship looms toward me between the walls of the dry dock.

 Unfinished plein air painting of  "Painters with 'James Craig ' in Garden Island dry dock" 

 I try to make sure that I have enough room for the mast, rigging and the dockyard crane overhead.

 unfinished plein air painting of  "Painters with 'James Craig ' in Garden Island dry dock" 

I knew that it would be overcast and so prepared a few canvases with a black imprimatura (underpainting). I find that this gives the clouds a more 3 dimensional quality.

Artist Jane Bennett with  unfinished plein air painting of  "Painters with 'James Craig ' in Garden Island dry dock" 

 Portrait of the artist in full PPE (personal protective equipment) regalia.

Artist Jane Bennett with her unfinished plein air painting of  "Painters with 'James Craig ' in Garden Island dry dock" 

 Hard hat, hi res jacket, tinted safety glasses, earmuffs and metal capped boots.

Unfinished plein air painting of  "Painters with 'James Craig ' in Garden Island dry dock" 

 There is another tall ship, the HMB Endeavour, in the dry dock, but I can't get too close to her as she is being sandblasted back to her original wood and can barely be seen in the dust haze.

Unfinished plein air painting of  "Painters with 'James Craig ' in Garden Island dry dock" 

 The dark bulk of the 'James Craig' stands out dramatically in front of the threatening clouds.

Unfinished plein air painting of  "Painters with 'James Craig ' in Garden Island dry dock" 

 I was worried that it was going to rain. It's risky starting such a large canvas as it takes so many trips back up to the top. The dockyard steps are narrow and a wet canvas has to be carried on its own without otherr luggage.

.

Unfinished plein air painting of  "Painters with 'James Craig ' in Garden Island dry dock"

 Suddenly I realised that I wasn't the only painter on the dock floor, as 2 white clad men started to haphazardly spray patches of red on the prow of James Craig.

Unfinished plein air painting of  "Painters with 'James Craig ' in Garden Island dry dock" 

They cheekily "offer" to pose for me. They don't actually mean it, but I paint them in anyway.
Their figures provide a useful gauge to judge scale. This painterly device is known as "staffage" -  the size of the figures can be compared and contrasted with the size of the ship
Tim Drinkwater, the dockyard manager of the Sydney Heritage Fleet, told me that the painters would only be there for 8 minutes, but that was long enough for me to block in the basic shapes.

Unfinished plein air painting of  "Painters with 'James Craig ' in Garden Island dry dock" 

 The painters came up later to take photos of my painting of them.
They will be back to finish their painting on Tuesday.
I like the patchy 'work in progress' look of the hull, so I'll try to finish my painting before theirs.

My half - finished painting of
"Painters with 'James Craig ' in Garden Island dry dock" 2013
oil on canvas 75 x 100cm

 This canvas is in a 'portrait' format - vertical rather than the more usual horizontal one.

My half - finished painting of
"Painters with 'James Craig ' in Garden Island dry dock" 2013
oil on canvas 75 x 100cm

 i wanted the ship to dominate the canvas and used the extreme perspective to make it feel as though it is towering over the onlooker, and the prow almost poke you in the eye.

My half - finished painting of
"Painters with 'James Craig ' in Garden Island dry dock" 2013
oil on canvas 75 x 100cm

 I am quite short, so I have to fold the legs of the easel up and set it on the ground as I'm not tall enough to paint the masts and rigging with it in the ordinary position.

My half - finished painting of
"Painters with 'James Craig ' in Garden Island dry dock" 2013
oil on canvas 75 x 100cm

 At least this way it won't fall over in the wind.

My half - finished painting of
"Painters with 'James Craig ' in Garden Island dry dock" 2013
oil on canvas 75 x 100cm

 They keep moving the dockyard crane. Any further to the left and it will be out of the picture. I can only just manage to squeeze it in without it looking too cramped.

My half - finished painting of
"Painters with 'James Craig ' in Garden Island dry dock" 2013
oil on canvas 75 x 100cm

 I like the final position of the crane, though, as it won't be obscured by the masts and rigging. It gives the composition a little more drama, as it looks as though it could topple into the dock with a gust of wind.

My half - finished painting of
"Painters with 'James Craig ' in Garden Island dry dock" 2013
oil on canvas 75 x 100cm

The end of my first full day painting on the floor of the dry dock.

My studio on the 'tween deck of the 'James Craig'

Tall Ships - Endeavour to be ship-shape again

Related articles

• Artist in Residence on the James Craig Part 1- Sailing to Garden Island

• HMB Endeavour stripped bare (anmm.wordpress.com)

Artist in Residence on the tall ship James Craig Part 1- Sailing to Garden Island

I packed before dawn so that I could hitch a ride with Sydney Heritage Fleet's Tall Ship James Craig on its way from its usual berth at Wharf 7, Pyrmont to the dry dock at Garden Island.

My small gouache study of the Sydney Heritage Fleet's tug 'Bronzewing' alongside the 'James Craig'  

I painted a few small, quick gouache studies of the tall ship and tug on board, just to warm my hands up.

My small gouache study of the Sydney Heritage Fleet's tug 'Bronzewing' alongside the 'James Craig' 

I will be 'Artist in Residence' at the Garden Island dry dock painting two tall ships, the 'HMB Endeavour' replica and the 'James Craig'.
They will be getting their undersides ship shape in preparation for the International Fleet Review in October.

My small gouache study of the Sydney Heritage Fleet's tug 'Bronzewing' alongside the 'James Craig' 

I have stashed my easel, paints, brushes and lots of spare canvases in the deckhouse of the 'James Craig' which will be my studio until its departure from Garden Island on or about 15th June.

Related articles

• Artist in Residence at the Sydney Heritage Fleet Part 6 - 'Hail, hail, the gang's all here!'
• Artist in Residence on the James Craig Part 1- Sailing to Garden Island
• Painters and dockers - Artist in Residence on the tall ship 'James Craig' Part 2

• The Garden Island crane cash drain (smh.com.au)
• Meet John Dikkenberg, captain of HMB Endeavour (anmm.wordpress.com)
• HMB Endeavour stripped bare (anmm.wordpress.com)
• Tall ships endeavour to be shipshape

Not the Writers Festival- Exhibition of Pyrmont Paintings by Jane Bennett at 2013 Pyrmont Festival

Exhibition of paintings of Pyrmont by Jane Bennett at the 2013 Pyrmont Festival

Enquiries 
janecooperbennett@gmail.com

frances@franceskeevilgallery.com.au

The weather couldn't have been better for the 2013 Pyrmont Festival. A couple of the calmest, sunniest autumn days I've ever experienced in Sydney.
This festival is close to my heart, as it is held on the former Water-Police site, where I used to have a few studios during the late 1980s - mid 1990s.

Exhibition of paintings of Pyrmont by Jane Bennett at the 2013 Pyrmont Festival

Enquiries 
janecooperbennett@gmail.com

frances@franceskeevilgallery.com.au

This time the festival in Pirrama Park was for the whole weekend, which gave many more people a chance to see my exhibition. 

 I had brought 55 paintings on canvas and board for the exhibition. The largest was the 61 x 183cm canvas of a panorama of "Union Square" and the smallest was a tiny canvas of a strange little sign on top of the former F.L. Barker/Waite and Bull woolstore on the corner of Pyrmont Street and Pyrmont Bridge Road.

Exhibition of paintings of Pyrmont by Jane Bennett at the 2013 Pyrmont Festival

Enquiries 
janecooperbennett@gmail.com

frances@franceskeevilgallery.com.au

This year I had written 2 small booklets about my paintings and drawings of Pyrmont.The text was partly based on some of the posts in this blog.

Exhibition of paintings of Pyrmont by Jane Bennett at the 2013 Pyrmont Festival

Enquiries 
janecooperbennett@gmail.com

frances@franceskeevilgallery.com.au

I printed some prototype copies as an experiment, intending to display them at the festival. I partly wanted people to be able to read the text as, even with the marvellous help given to me by both my gallerist Frances Keevil and her daughter Sally, I can't always manage to talk to everyone who wants to know something about a particular painting. My other goal was to get some feedback. 

Exhibition of paintings of Pyrmont by Jane Bennett at the 2013 Pyrmont Festival

Enquiries 
janecooperbennett@gmail.com

frances@franceskeevilgallery.com.au

 One of these booklets, "Pyrmont - Shadows of the Past" was about my charcoal, ink and gouache drawings of Pyrmont  in a simple, classic black and white format. 

The other booklet "Pyrmont Paintings" displayed the paintings to great advantage on a dark blue background. but unfortunately this choice made the black text almost invisible. The printer service had offered a very limited choice of templates, fonts and colours. I had used them because I had been flat out painting and exhibiting since the beginning of this year and had very little time or energy left to prepare for the Pyrmont Festival. The booklets were an afterthought. I wrote & designed them both in a single day to meet the deadline for a discount printing deal.

In a way, this was good. I have a tendency to perfectionism, and faced with limitless choice and no deadline I can become paralysed with fear. I thought that I needed to write something, anything at all, however lame, and then improve it.

I wasn't actually intending to sell them at all. I gave copies to the people who bought paintings, or were seriously interested in purchasing. I also gave a couple to the gallery so that we could . I was stunned at the number of people who flatly insisted on paying $10, $12, $15 or even $20 for a booklet! I tried to insist that they were free, as they were just experiments. Apart from a misplaced comma and a couple of oddly proportioned margins the black and white booklet looked very elegant, but the beautiful blue background of the painting book had unfortunately made the writing completely illegible and there were a couple of font discrepancies. Trying to finish the 2nd booklet by the midnight deadline had nearly sent me cross-eyed.

I pointed out the errors, but it didn't seem to faze anyone; they still insisted on paying for them! 

We sold over 50 booklets, and we weren't actually trying to sell them at all!

Exhibition of paintings of Pyrmont by Jane Bennett at the 2013 Pyrmont Festival

Enquiries 
janecooperbennett@gmail.com

frances@franceskeevilgallery.com.au

I only have one of each left now, and I'd better hang on to them as I'd like to have them in front of me when I finally sit down with the gallery's designer and plan a better publication.

So, it's not yet the Writer's Festival, and I'm not an author.

However this event has given me a great deal of confidence. People have been nagging me for years to write about my paintings, but now I know that they are serious.

"Decisions, decisions... which one should I buy?"

Exhibition of paintings of Pyrmont by Jane Bennett at the 2013 Pyrmont Festival

Enquiries 
janecooperbennett@gmail.com

frances@franceskeevilgallery.com.au

As well as my unexpected excursion into literature, it was a very interesting and successful event on a number of different levels.
I reconnected with lots of people who once lived or worked in Pyrmont as well as many of the new residents of Jacksons Landing and the apartments on top of Pyrmont Point.
There were several sales and I am now preparing to paint an extremely large and prestigious commission resulting from a contact made on these 2 days.

Paintings of Pyrmont by Jane Bennett in Pirrama Park

Related articles

• We like sheep - Waite and Bull Building 137 Pyrmont Street
• Artist in Residence at the Sydney Heritage Fleet Part 6 - 'Hail, hail, the gang's all here!'

• Pyrmont Festival Back for Third Year (sandratblog.com)
• Friends celebrate fight for Pyrmont Park (altmedia.net.au)
• Roads closed for Sydney half marathon (news.com.au)
• SMH half marathon | 2013 (100days100ways.wordpress.com)
• 13,000 people per square km (smh.com.au)