Industrial Cathedral

Industrial Cathedral
"Industrial Cathedral" charcoal on paper 131 x 131 cm Jane Bennett. Finalist in 1998 Dobell Drawing Prize Art Gallery of NSW Finalist 1998 Blake Prize Winner 1998 Hunter's Hill Open Art Prize

About Me

My photo
Sydney, NSW, Australia
I'm an Industrial Heritage Artist who paints "en plein air".If it's damaged, derelict, doomed and about to disappear, I'll be there to paint it.

Saturday 20 May 2017

Steady rest

I've been painting the machinery in the William Wallbank and Sons ex- foundry in Auburn, before it is all stripped out and sent to a scrap metal yard.

Plein air oil painting of machinery in abandoned William and Wallbank and Sons Foundry by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
Work in progress -
AWW8 'Boys toys -Steady rest 1'
oil on steel press plate tondo 16 x 16cm 2017
Available 


























I've been painting a series of still life studies on salvaged "press plates".
These leftover circles of mild steel were found lying on the machine shop floor, and were being gathered up to be thrown away.

Plein air oil painting of machinery in abandoned William and Wallbank and Sons Foundry by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
AWW8 'Boys toys -Steady rest 1'
oil on steel press plate tondo 16 x 16cm 2017
Available 

























It was fascinating painting the relics of industry on salvaged objects that were part of the waste product from that industry.
The lustre of the smooth metallic surface shows through every brushstroke, reproducing every sparkle, shine and glimmer of the knobs and finials.

Plein air oil painting of machinery in abandoned William and Wallbank and Sons Foundry by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
Work in progress - AWW11
'Boys toys -Steady rest 2'
oil on steel press plate tondo 16 x 16cm 2017
Available



















Although the William Wallbank foundry dated from 1932, some of the machinery was much older. I found a nameplate on one from "Russia", which meant that it must have dated from before the Soviet era, and probably from before World War I.

Plein air oil painting of machinery in abandoned William and Wallbank and Sons Foundry by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
AWW11 'Boys toys -Steady rest 2'
oil on steel press plate tondo 16 x 16cm 2017
Available 

























The steady rest on a lathe, has a frame and 3 adjustable jaws to support a workpiece such as an axle or a shaft while it is being turned, milled or drilled.
It prevents slender, flexible pieces springing back and forth, and also allows deep cuts, drilling, boring, or internal threading.

Plein air oil painting of machinery in abandoned William and Wallbank and Sons Foundry by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
Work in progress on the easel -
AWW10 'Boys toys -Boring machine'
oil on steel press plate tondo 16 x 16cm 2017
Available 



























The over arm with the top jaw can be unfastened and swung out of the way so that pieces can be removed and replaced without needing to adjust the jaws.
There should be 0.001 inch clearance between the jaws and the workpiece.
The bearing surface is usually machined directly on the work.

Plein air oil painting of machinery in abandoned William and Wallbank and Sons Foundry by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
AWW10 'Boys toys -Boring machine'
oil on steel press plate tondo 16 x 16cm 2017
Available 

























When the work is too small or awkwardly shaped to machine the bearing surface, a 'cathead' can provide the bearing surface.
The cathead has a bearing that is surfaced, a hole through which the work extends, and adjusting screws to fasten the cathead to the work.

Plein air oil painting of machinery in abandoned William and Wallbank and Sons Foundry by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
Work in progress on the easel -
AWW9 'Boys toys -Control'
oil on steel press plate tondo 16 x 16cm 2017
Available 



















When it isn't possible to hold the work in the chuck, one end can be supported by the headstock centre and the other by the steady rest.
A leather strap or rawhide thong is used to tie the work to the driveplate and to prevent it from moving off the headstock centre.

Plein air oil painting of machinery in abandoned William and Wallbank and Sons Foundry by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
Work in progress on the easel -
AWW9 'Boys toys -Control'
oil on steel press plate tondo
16 x 16cm 2017
Available 




















After the locking screws on the adjustable jaws are tightened, the bearing surface needs lubrication with heavy oil before turning on the lathe.

Plein air oil painting of machinery in abandoned William and Wallbank and Sons Foundry by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
Work in progress on the easel -
AWW9 'Boys toys -Control'
oil on steel press plate tondo
16 x 16cm 2017
Available 




















The bearing surface and adjustable jaws always need a heavy oil film between them, as when the workpiece heats up it will expand, closing the distance between it and the jaws.

Plein air oil painting of machinery in abandoned William and Wallbank and Sons Foundry by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
AWW9 'Boys toys -Control' 2017
oil on steel press plate tondo 16 x 16cm
Available


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Thursday 18 May 2017

Scar Tissue

Exploring disused manufacturing can sometimes be a bit depressing – all that decay, all those jobs that no longer exist, all that busy industry that has gone.
I have been painting in the increasingly empty Large Erecting Shop of the Eveleigh Railway Workshops, as they are being slowly stripped of all but the barest essentials,
leaving desolate floors and abandoned walkways.
Echos follow your every move, mimicking and daring you to make your presence known.
Plein air oil painting of the interior of the Large Erecting Shop in the Eveleigh Railway Workshops painted by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
'Release' 2017 oil on canvas 41 x 31cm
Painting is less documentary, more subjective,definitely slower and more labour intensive than photography.
However these qualities can be assets as well.
The painter has to select one image showing a definitive moment and yet implying others, to reveal layers of meaning that reward further viewing.
A bit like an onion. And sometimes it can make you want to cry.
I value the quality of authenticity, of being a witness.
This practice of painting on site produces a more genuinely felt memory of my experience and an understanding of the location’s properties and mood, providing me with a truer record of the colour palette than photography.
Plein air oil painting of the interior of the Large Erecting Shop in the Eveleigh Railway Workshops painted by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
'Release' 2017 oil on canvas 41 x 31cm
Enquiries



 




















With the removal of so many items, I focus intensely on what remains. Instead of panoramas of the interior, I am working on a series of close ups of details I have previously overlooked, attempting to preserve what is left of the once chaotic jumble of relics of over 100 years of railway history.
The paint itself can give a feeling of the volume and presence of the scene being painted.
Texture such as rust, stains or water damage can be scraped back with a palette knife or engraved into the surface. The term for this is “sgraffito”.
Plein air oil painting of the interior of the Large Erecting Shop in the Eveleigh Railway Workshops painted by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
'Release' 2017 oil on canvas 41 x 31cm
Enquiries

 













The colours and textures, crumbling render, faded pigments, verdigris, scrapes and scratches – the scar tissue that stand witness to moments in time and history, may be lost in the rush towards the future.