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 Maersk Gateshead. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Maersk Gateshead. Show all posts

Saturday 31 July 2010

Ships that pass-Painting Sydney Harbour from the bridge of the Maersk Gateshead Part 2.

I painted this panoramic canvas of the western side of Sydney Harbour from the bridge of the "Maersk Gateshead".
Plein air oil painting of Sydney harbour and the tallship James Craig from the bridge of a cargo ship docked at the East Darling Harbour Wharves, now Barangaroo, painted by marine artist Jane Bennett
DH258 'Pyrmont and the James Craig
from the bridge of the Maersk Gateshead'
2010 oil on canvas 31 x 153cm
Available

This was the last cargo ship to be docked at wharf 5, of the former East Darling Harbour Wharves, which has now been redeveloped into the Barangaroo precinct.
It wasn't unloaded there, but was waiting for repairs and finally left at 3pm Monday 14th June 2010.
The captain watched me painting from the dockside, and was intrigued. After a bit of negotiation I spent the next 4 days having the run of the ship. I painted a series of canvases, from the bridge of the ship itself.
 
Plein air oil painting of Sydney harbour from the bridge of a cargo ship docked at the East Darling Harbour Wharves, now Barangaroo, painted by marine artist Jane Bennett
DH258 'Pyrmont and the James Craig
from the bridge of the Maersk Gateshead'
2010 oil on canvas 31 x 153cm
Available




















During my previous 6 or so years as 'Artist in Residence' at the East Darling Harbour Wharves, I had often been invited by various captains to paint from their ship.
This is a view of my 'studio on a ship, with the unfinished canvas on my French Box easel.
Plein air oil painting of Sydney harbour from the bridge of a cargo ship docked at the East Darling Harbour Wharves, now Barangaroo, painted by marine artist Jane Bennett
DH258 'Pyrmont and the James Craig
from the bridge of the Maersk Gateshead'
2010 oil on canvas 31 x 153cm
Available




















This shows a close up detail of the left hand side of the same canvas, showing the former wharves of Pyrmont in the shadow of the towers of Jackson's Landing and the Anzac bridge.
Plein air oil painting of Sydney harbour from the bridge of a cargo ship docked at the East Darling Harbour Wharves, now Barangaroo, painted by marine artist Jane Bennett
DH258 'Pyrmont and the James Craig
from the bridge of the Maersk Gateshead'
2010 oil on canvas 31 x 153cm
Available




















This close up detail shows the containers of the Maersk Gateshead, and in the distance is the 'Pacific Jewel', the last time a cruise ship would dock at Wharf 8, the 'old' cruise ship terminal. I've put 'old' in inverted commas because it was only built in 1999, as part of the Sydney 2000 Olympics building boom, and now redundant after just over 10 years. Sydney's urban landscape makes 'dog years' look languid.
As soon as the 'Pacific Jewel' left, the fences enclosed the perimeter of the Cruise ship Terminal, and demolition began.
I contrasted the boxy lines of the modern white cruise ship with the lovingly restored tall ship of the Sydney Heritage Fleet, the 'James Craig' making its way back to its home next to Wharf 7, Pyrmont.
Plein air oil painting of Sydney harbour from the bridge of a cargo ship docked at the East Darling Harbour Wharves, now Barangaroo, painted by marine artist Jane Bennett
DH260 'Millers Point from the bridge of the Maersk Gateshead'
2010 oil on canvas 31 x 103cm
Sold
Enquiries about similar paintings or prints
I'd often record the bustle of a working wharf beneath me, as well as the workers' terraces perched on High Street and Merriman Street directly opposite and almost at my eye-level.
But this time, everything had changed.
Forever.
The wharf has been scraped to the bone. Wharf buildings, cranes and forklifts have gone, and there is a vast empty void framed with a randomly curved blue line supposedly echoing the original shoreline. A couple of security guards bored out of their tiny minds, walk aimlessly up and down. At least they're getting fit.
I was glad to be on the bridge of the ship and not on the wharf, because on the bridge I was mostly left to paint in peace as the crew had work to get on with.
On the wharf, the guards were nice, but driving me bonkers, because they had no other distractions to relieve their boredom. As it was obvious that the days of painting on the Wharves were numbered, I didn't have time to waste.
The sandstone escarpment and Millers Point workers terraces glow in the reflection of the setting sun, as does the doomed Harbour Control Tower, which was still my studio.
Compare this to a similar panorama of the wharf painted from a similar vantage point of the bridge of another ship, the 'Taiko' only 4 years before.
Plein air oil painting of Sydney harbour from the bridge of a cargo ship docked at the East Darling Harbour Wharves, now Barangaroo, painted by marine artist Jane Bennett
DH33A-B'From the Bridge of the 'Taiko' Diptych''
2006 oil on board 20 x 40cm each
Sold
Enquiries about similar paintings or prints
The lines on the wharf in the 2006 diptych are not random or imposed by a landscape designer. They are pedestrian walkways, and grids to designate parking for trucks, freight or cars, but create a complex interplay of arrows and lines worthy of Jeffrey Smart.
I knew this would be the last cargo ship to ever dock here, and the last time it would be a working wharf. So it was my last chance to see and paint the harbour from this vantage point, and I made the most of it.
After the Maersk Gateshead left, a temporary Cruise Ship Terminal was set up in a large white tent (ok then, a marquee) marking time until the new terminal was built at White Bay. 
As soon as that opened developers were free to literally cut along the dotted line, and the 200 year history of the East Darling Harbour Wharf, aka the 'Hungry Mile' would end.

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The mother art is architecture 

Monday 26 July 2010

The End of an Era - The "Maersk Gateshead" Arrives

Jane Bennett oil painting of container ship 'Maersk Gateshead' at Barangaroo
Painting the 'Maersk Gateshead' from the wharf at Barangaroo
Enquiries about this painting

This was the last container ship ever to enter Sydney Harbour. I was permitted to paint it, not only from the wharf, but from the bridge of the ship, courtesy of the Captain, Mark Carter.
 
Jane Bennett oil painting of container ship 'Maersk Gateshead' at Barangaroo
On my easel is the completed oil painting of the
'Maersk Gateshead' which I sold to the Captain.
Enquiries about similar paintings
I spent 4 days painting from different vantage points on the ship, knowing that I was witness to the end of an era.
Jane Bennett oil painting of container ship 'Maersk Gateshead' at Barangaroo
Painting the 'Maersk Gateshead' from the wharf at Barangaroo
Enquiries about this painting

The 'Maersk Gateshead' only made her unplanned visit to Sydney Harbour because her engines became disabled. Rather than return to Port Botany or sail further into Sydney Harbour to dock at Glebe Island, as originally planned, the Captain decided to make use of the recently vacated wharf at BarangarooJane Bennett oil painting of container ship 'Maersk Gateshead' at Barangaroo
DH255 'Early morning, the Maersk Gateshead at Barangaroo'
2010 oil on canvas 31 x 61cm
Enquiries about this painting
The 'Maersk Gateshead' was not originally intended to enter Sydney Harbour at all. It had been near Botany, when it was discovered that the engines were disabled, and after some discussion, it was decided at first to send it to Glebe Island.
I was painting the ex-Hmas Adelaide and the OES Barge which were both then docked at Glebe.
Jane Bennett oil painting of container ship 'Maersk Gateshead' at Barangaroo
DH257 'The Maersk Gateshead, preparing to depart Barangaroo'
2010 oil on canvas 40 x 120cm
Enquiries about this painting
On the 7th June the OES Barge was waiting for the weather conditions to permit it to go to Botany, where it was to start the trials for laying cables.
There was quite a big swell at Botany- a wide windy shallow bay at the best of times.
Suddenly the OES people were told to move the barge from Glebe to neighbouring White Bay, to accomodate the disabled ship.
Jane Bennett oil painting of container ship 'Maersk Gateshead' at Barangaroo
Painting the 'Maersk Gateshead' from the
bridge of the ship at Barangaroo.
An unfinished oil painting of the panorama
from Pyrmont and White Bay to Balmain 25 x 152cm

But the expected ship did not arrive at Glebe - the captain had decided to instead move his ship, the 'Maersk Gateshead', to the vacant lot at the former DH5.
Jane Bennett oil painting of container ship 'Maersk Gateshead' at Barangaroo
Painting the 'Maersk Gateshead' from the
bridge of the ship at Barangaroo.
A central view of the prow of the ship
featuring its rows of containers.
The Sydney CBD and the heritage terrace
houses of Miller's Point are in the background.
Oil painting on canvas 38 x 76cm
Enquiries about this painting
Jane Bennett oil painting of container ship 'Maersk Gateshead' at Barangaroo
DH256 'The 'Pacific Jewel at wharf 7 from
the bridge of the Maersk Gateshead'
2010 oil on canvas 38 x 76cm
Enquiries about this painting
The ship was not unloaded at the wharf, but waited for repairs and finally left at 3pm Monday 14th June. I understood the historical significance and made sure that I took advantage of the situation.
As well as painting from the dockside, after a bit of negotiation I was permitted to paint from the bridge of the ship itself.
Jane Bennett oil painting of container ship 'Maersk Gateshead' at Barangaroo
"Night, 'Pacific Jewel' from the bridge of the Maersk Gateshead"
2010 oil painting on canvas 61 x 91 cm
Enquiries about this painting
From the bridge of the "Maersk Gateshead"at night. The "Pacific Jewel" Cruise ship is turning in the background, ready to depart Sydney Harbour.
This was a historic moment - the last time that a cruise ship would dock at the old cruise ship terminal at Darling Harbour Wharf 8.
It is highly unlikely that any other container ship will ever be allowed to dock at Barangaroo again.
If the recent article by Paul Keating in the Sydney Morning Herald is any indication, the cruise ships will be evicted to White Bay as soon as possible.

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The mother art is architecture