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

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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.
Showing posts with label Lachlan Macquarie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lachlan Macquarie. Show all posts

Friday 17 July 2020

Monet and Streeton meet Windsor Bridge

Windsor is one of the 'Macquarie towns' on the Hawkesbury River created in the early 19th century by Governor Lachlan Macquarie as the foodbowl of Sydney.
Plein air oil painting of the old Windsor Bridge painted by heritage artist Jane Bennett
 TSWB1 Windsor Bridge from western side
2013 acrylic on canvas 46 x 61cm


















Thompson Square, established in 1795 at the centre of Windsor, is thought to be the oldest public square in Australia.
The old Windsor Bridge was a beam bridge built in 1874 for horse-drawn vehicles.
This canvas was painted in 2013 before NSW Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) department had started work on the replacement bridge, 35 metres (115 ft) downstream from the existing bridge.
The bank on the Freeman's Reach side of the Hawkesbury, where I painted this idyllic view marks exactly where the new bridge is now situated.
I painted these scenes in jacaranda flowering season as the bluish mauves offset the bright greens of the foreground.
Plein air oil painting of the old Windsor Bridge painted by heritage artist Jane Bennett
TSWB3 Windsor Bridge early morning from western side
2013 acrylic on canvas 46 x 61cm
Available
The old bridge is an austere construction with modestly proportioned piers and the engineering of the cross bracing  consistent with the challenges of its location.
Plein air oil painting of the Hawkesbury River from the old Windsor Bridge painted by heritage artist Jane Bennett
TSWB12 View from Windsor Bridge in jacaranda season
2015 oil on canvas 25 x 51cm
Available
As you can see from the painting above, the real charm of Windsor Bridge is revealled in its river vistas.
Monet would have loved this spot. And my gallerist, on seeing these works, did ask if I'd painted them in France.
This area certainly inspired Arthur Streeton, one of the Australian Impressionists, who painted his masterpiece "The Purple Noon's Transparent Might" not far from here.
Plein air oil painting of the construction of the new Windsor Bridge painted by heritage artist Jane Bennett
TSWB16 'Construction of the new Windsor Bridge' 2019
oil on canvas 91 x 183cm
Available
But now the timeless harmony of the sleepy river and the Georgian, Victorian and Federation architecture of Thompson Square has been surrounded by a maelstrom of excavation and construction.
Most of the old trees have now been felled.
The new bridge opened to traffic on 18th May 2020.
The new approach road rises up on a large visually intrusive embankment as it cuts a swathe  through the square.
There is now a bitter battle to save the 140 year old bridge from demolition. The RMS has stated that it will start removal in the coming months, but many would prefer the old bridge to be restored and left in situ. 

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Sunday 16 February 2014

There's nothing...Painting the Jolly Frog Part 3

Tis the season to be jolly.... not.
Not if you happen to be a frog, anyway, after a nasty outbreak of "Spontaneous Pub Combustion".

plein air oil painting of the "Jolly Frog" in Windsor by artist Jane Bennett
 WJF5 'The 'Jolly Frog' (there's nothing...) 
2013 oil on canvas 25 x 31cm
Available
When I looked more closely at my painting (this canvas was painted in December 2013, just a month before the fire) I noticed the prophetic words "There's nothing" in the background to the left.
It is part of the "Holden" sign of the neighbouring car yard, and says in full "There's nothing quite like a Holden".

plein air oil painting of the "Jolly Frog" in Windsor by artist Jane Bennett
Detail of WJF5 'The 'Jolly Frog' (there's nothing...)
2013 oil on canvas 25 x 31cm

The entire sign was rather ironic, come to think of it.
"There's nothing like a Holden" ?
Oh, but there is - Ford, Ansett, Gowings,Toyota, possibly even SPC Ardmona and Qantas to join them.
I chose the phrase "the boiling frog" as appropriate to christen my first post about painting the "Jolly Frog".
The differences from one day to the next are apparently imperceptible, but it is harder and harder to go back.
I've just read the excellent historical notes on the self-guided Windsor Heritage Walk, that I discovered in the Macquarie Arms Hotel. 
Apparently this area on the bank of South Creek was the Green Hills Burial Ground. It was in use from the early 1800s until Governor Lachlan Macquarie proclaimed the new burial ground in 1811,now the cemetery of  St Matthews Anglican Church. It is thought that until the 1840s criminals continued to be buried on the bank of South Creek in unmarked graves.
No wonder I felt uneasy around the riverbank behind the Jolly Frog.
A ghost town in more ways than one.
They might well be spinning in them now.
To mix my metaphors, I hope the frog is a phoenix in disguise and will rise from its ashes.
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(abc news)

Saturday 20 July 2013

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.
Plein air oil painting of Thompson Square, Windsor by artist Jane Bennett
Starting a plein air oil painting of Thompson Square, Windsor
oil on canvas 25 x 152cm

Enquiries 
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.
Plein air oil painting of Thompson Square, Windsor by artist Jane Bennett
Starting a plein air oil painting of Thompson Square, Windsor
oil on canvas 25 x 152cm

Enquiries
Most of the buildings in Thompson Square are regarded as of crucial historical and architectural merit. 
Plein air oil painting of Thompson Square, Windsor by artist Jane Bennett
Half-way through my plein air oil painting of
Thompson Square, Windsor
oil on canvas 25 x 152cm

Enquiries
The charm of Thompson Square is that it still retains the village square character originally intended by Macquarie.
Plein air oil painting of Thompson Square, Windsor by artist Jane Bennett
Half-way through my plein air oil painting of
Thompson Square, Windsor
oil on canvas 25 x 152cm

Enquiries
Windsor Bridge is the oldest existing bridge crossing the Hawkesbury River. The caisson deck supports are original and over 130 years old.
It was designed by the Public Works Department and constructed, between 1872-1874, by contractors Andrew Turnbull and William K. Dixon.
Plein air oil painting of Thompson Square, Windsor by artist Jane Bennett
Half-way through my plein air oil painting of
Thompson Square, Windsor
oil on canvas 25 x 152cm

Enquiries
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:
"I hope this bridge will last longer than the life of the youngest child who passes over it today.'
Australia's heritage.
Plein air oil painting of Thompson Square, Windsor by artist Jane Bennett
Half-way through my plein air oil painting of
Thompson Square, Windsor
oil on canvas 25 x 152cm

Enquiries
There are so many lovely viewpoints of the bridge, park, river and Georgian architecture that I found it difficult to choose!
Plein air oil painting of Thompson Square, Windsor by artist Jane Bennett
Half-way through my plein air oil painting of
Thompson Square, Windsor
oil on canvas 25 x 152cm

Enquiries
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.
Plein air oil painting of Thompson Square, Windsor by artist Jane Bennett
Half-way through my plein air oil painting of
Thompson Square, Windsor
oil on canvas 25 x 152cm

Enquiries
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.
Plein air oil painting of Thompson Square, Windsor by artist Jane Bennett
The artist painting Thompson Square, Windsor
oil on canvas 25 x 152cm

Enquiries
Painting 'en plein air' in the oldest town square in Australia. I'm following the footsteps of Arthur Streeton, who painted "the Purple Noon's Transparent might" in the Hawkesbury district.

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