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.
Showing posts with label Tampa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tampa. Show all posts

Saturday 22 March 2014

From the Tampa to Strictly Ballroom

I'll write a few posts about some of the paintings on display at my exhibition of Pyrmont paintings in the members lounge of the Australian National Maritime Museum.
The first two paintings on the left hand wall of the room as you enter, were both painted from the roof of the half demolished Pyrmont Power Station a couple of years apart. I was very pleased that I was able to place these together so that viewers can understand the stages of development of this area of Pyrmont.
Pyrmont painting-plein air oil painting of Pyrmont in the  Australian National Maritime Museum. by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
P103 "From the roof of Pyrmont Power Station" 
1994 oil/canvas 92 x 122 cm 

I was "Artist in Residence" at the Pyrmont Power Station for over a decade. At the time of painting these 2 works, it was partially demolished, yet still functional, and served the western side of the CBD as a source for power and lighting. It has now been replaced by Star City Casino.
The rhythmic sweeping lines curving under the bridge are remnants of the old Pyrmont goods line.This was once part of the former Metropolitan Goods Line. There was a goods line from Darling Harbour to Central that had been in existence from about 1856, but a loop line that completed a circuitous route of the inner suburbs became necessary when heavy industry expanded in the early 20th century. Diverging at Dulwich Hill it headed north beneath the Main Suburban line at Summer Hill to Lilyfield before heading east to Rozelle and Pyrmont, and then south under Railway Square through NSW's oldest tunnel to join the Main Suburban line outside Central. This line served the ports at Glebe Island (diverging via a spur from Lilyfield) and Darling Harbour and was approved on 23 November 1914, and the line was finally opened on 23 January 1922. The Darling Island/Darling Harbour section had 19km of track.
The John Street tunnel, a 124m double-track tunnel cut deep into the sandstone under Pyrmont Point, is still in use for the light rail.
During the 1970s and 1980s Darling Harbour traffic reduced considerably and the yards officially closed in October 1984. At vast expense, this goods line was torn up in June 1993 and replaced by the dubious benefit of light rail. Much of the trackbed was used for the light rail that opened to Wentworth Park in August 1997 and extended to Lilyfield in August 2000.
The pile of rubble in the centre marks where an old signal box in the Pyrmont Goods Yard had been just demolished. It was immortalized as the “Spanish café” in Baz Luhrmann's 1992 classic film “Strictly Ballroom”. One person’s eyesore is another’s urban icon.
The brilliant vermilion ship was the “MV Tampa”! It wasn’t notorious then!
The “Tampa” was an early Mark 1 “ConRo” ( roll-on/roll-off container ship) completed in 1984 by Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. in South Korea for the Norway based firm, then known as the “Barber Line” and later the “Wallenius Wilhelmsen Line”. It was extensively refurbished and another deck added before it was involved in the controversial event in August 2001 known afterwards as the "Tampa affair".
That wasn't the last scandal involving the MV Tampa.
In October 2006, MV Tampa was one of two Wilhelmsen ships involved in a cocaine-smuggling operation intercepted by the New Zealand Customs Service and the Australian Federal Police. Allegedly 27 kilograms of cocaine had been attached in purpose-built metal pods to the side of the 2 cargo ships bound for Australia. However the New Zealand authorities stated they did not believe the ship's crew or owners were involved.
At the time of this painting Jones Bay Road continued up to the land bridge which then bisected Darling Island and looped around the lower level of Darling Island
All of Jones Bay Road has since been renamed Pirrama Road except for a strange little stub of a street opposite Star Casino. Jones Bay Road used to loop around the whole peninsula, but now the entire street is only about 100 metres long, stretching from the Australian Thermite building ("Darling Island Bond and Free") on the corner at 12 Pyrmont Street, to an apartment block and the 2SM building on the corner of the escarpment.
Pyrmont painting-plein air oil painting of Pyrmont in the  Australian National Maritime Museum. by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
P214 "Sydney Harbour from the top of the Pyrmont Power Station(building Star Casino)"
1997 oil/board 40 x 89 cm 
In the early 1980s,when I first started to paint in Pyrmont, the brick building on the right hand side of this painting was the site of Pier 13, where so many immigrants first set foot on Australian soil. Pier 13 was still connected to Jones Bay Road by a land bridge. By the date of this painting, Pier 13 had been painted a gob-smackingly hideous shade of yellow and became first a dodgy carpet shop and later the equally dodgy temporary casino. As you can see, the land bridge has by now been demolished.
Pier 13 has since been replaced by 'Workplace 6', home of 'Google' and Paul Signorelli's restaurants 'Gastronomia' and 'Biaggio'.
The empty space in the centre of Darling Island has since been filled with offices and apartments, which ironically have been given wharf-like styling. Most of the real wharves had been demolished in the 1980s-1990s.

Monday 22 October 2012

2012 Classic and Wooden Boat Show at the Australian National Maritime Museum

Exhibition at the Australian National Maritime Museum by the Australian Society of Marine Artists

I chose these 3 paintings to display in the exhibition by the Australian Society of Marine Artists in the Tasman Light Room at the Australian National Maritime Museum.
The exhibition was part of the 2012 Classic and Wooden Boat Festival from Friday 12th October - Wednesday 17th October 2012.

oil painting of Walsh Bay Wharves by artist Jane Bennett
"Demolition of Wharf 6/7, Walsh Bay Wharves” 2001  
oil on canvas 61 x 102cm















Enquiries about this painting :

                         
I had painted the demolition of the almost derelict structures of Wharf 6/7, Walsh Bay Wharves from the interior of Wharf 8/9 in 2001. This wharf was later replaced by apartments designed to imitate the genuine wharves. 

oil painting of notorious cargo ship 'Tampa' at Barangaroo by artist Jane Bennett
"The last call of the ‘Tampa’ ”
2007 oil on canvas 31 x 103cm
Enquiries about this painting :

                              
I had been “Artist in Residence” at the Hungry Mile during its last days of port operations.The notorious “Tampa” was the last Ro-ro ( roll on roll off car ship) to berth at the Hungry Mile wharves, now known as “Barangaroo” in late October 2007, marking the effective end of Sydney as a working harbour.

oil painting of controversial ex-HMAS Adelaide' with Anzac Bridge at Glebe Island Wharves by artist Jane Bennett
”Ex-HMAS Adelaide at Glebe Island Wharf” 
2009 oil on canvas  46 x 92cm
Enquiries about this painting :

                         
I had painted the entire saga of ex HMAS Adelaide from her arrival at Glebe Island Wharf in September 2009 to her scuttling off  the Central Coast on Wednesday April 13th 2011. 
Her interior was stripped to prepare for her reinvention as a dive wreck but this was stopped at literally the last minute by a controversial court case. The ship had to undergo more stringent preparations for another year, until the dawn of April 11th 2011 when she made her last journey to her final resting spot off North Avoca.  

Artist in Residence at the Australian National Maritime Museum


plein air oil painting of Krait by artist Jane Bennett at 2012 Classic and Wooden Boat Festival at Australian National Maritime Museum
Painting the 'Krait' at the 2012
Classic and Wooden Boat Festival
Australian National Maritime Museum.
Oil on canvas 28 x 36cm




 
















I also spent Saturday 13th October and Sunday 14th October next to HMAS Vampire as Artist in Residence giving a demonstration of plein air painting.
In this photo I am starting a small canvas of the 1934 fishing trawler,  Krait, which led a heroic double life during World War II.
In 1941, Krait was used to evacuate people from Singapore to Sumatra during the Japanese advance. Perfectly disguised as a local fishing vessel, in the 1943 Operation Jaywick she was boldly sailed into Japanese-occupied waters with a team of Z Special Unit commandos whose mines blew up and severely damaged 7 enemy ships in Singapore harbour. After the war, Krait worked in the Borneo timber trade, until  two Australians on a business trip recognized her in 1962. Krait then returned to Australia to a hero's welcome, a testament to Australian sacrifice during war.

plein air oil painting of wooden boat by artist Jane Bennett at 2012 Classic and Wooden Boat Festival at Australian National Maritime Museum
Painting the 'Winnie Too' at the
2012 Classic and Wooden Boat Festival
Australian National Maritime Museum.
Oil on canvas 51 x 61cm
Enquiries about this painting :






















Later in the day, as a contrast to the stark black hull of Krait, I painted Winnie Too one of the dozens of charming smaller wooden boats on display.
exhibition of oil paintings of tall ships and Pyrmont  by artist Jane Bennett at 2012 Classic and Wooden Boat Festival at Australian National Maritime Museum
My outdoor exhibition at the
2012 Classic and Wooden Boat Festival
Australian National Maritime Museum.




















As there was a handy awning to protect them from the wind and sun I was able to present an outdoor display of some of my other canvases of vessels from the Sydney Heritage Fleet and the Australian National Maritime Museum. The canvases on the easel are of the tall ships James Craig and HMV Endeavour, and the light ship Carpentaria. The smaller works hung from the railings are some of my early Pyrmont paintings, which date from the era before the building of the Australian National Maritime Museum.

Sunday 9 January 2011

Two Ships in dock - Painting the 'Pacific Jewel' and the ex-HMAS Adelaide' at Glebe Island Wharf

In the dock*
*dock 1
1.The area of water between two piers or alongside a pier that receives a ship for loading, unloading, or repairs.
dock 2
1. To clip short or cut off
2. To deprive of a benefit or a part of something, especially as a punishment
3. To withhold or deduct a part from dock 3

An enclosed place where the defendant stands or sits in a court of law. Idiom: 'in the dock'
On trial or under intense scrutiny. (Definitions of 'Dock' courtesy of the Free Dictionary)


2 ships on Glebe Island Wharf- one under repair and one being systematically pulled to pieces, both literally and metaphorically.
After a problem developed in the propulsion system, the 'Pacific Jewel' had to cool its heels for quite a while, first at Barangaroo, then for over a week at Glebe Island and finally at Captain Cook dry dock over at Garden Island.
Painting the Pacific Jewel en plein air at Glebe Island Wharf painted by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
Painting the 'Pacific Jewel'
en plein air at Glebe Island Wharf
Available
The engines had broken down and after a few days the cruise ship was moved to the Naval dry dock at Woolloomooloo on Saturday 30th November, unfortunately while I was at the Eveleigh field day.
When I asked a couple of blokes in overalls how long the repairs would take, one of them said that they had to move an item weighing about 45 tons to get to the broken bit. When I asked how that was going, they laughed and said that they had managed about 8 tons of it so far; about 37 to go.
Painting the Pacific Jewel en plein air at Glebe Island Wharf painted by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
Painting the 'Pacific Jewel' en plein air
at Glebe Island Wharf,
oil painting by artist Jane Bennett 27th October 2010
Available 
Starting the new canvas. It was a sullen overcast day with very gusty winds. I knew it would be hopeless to try any painting on the open wharf next day. I didn't know how long that the 'Pacific Jewel' would be staying at Glebe Island. Nor did anyone else.
Painting the Pacific Jewel en plein air at Glebe Island Wharf painted by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
Painting the 'Pacific Jewel' at Glebe Island
on 29th October 2010
Available 
I resumed painting on the 29th, which was just as well as the day after this, the 'Pacific Jewel' was sent to Captain Cook Dry Dock at Garden Island. I unfortunately missed this as I had committed myself to be "Artist in Residence" at the Eveleigh Field Day, and try as I might I still haven't mastered the knack of being in 2 places at the one time.
See my post in this blog about the Eveleigh Field Day
However I managed to catch up with the 'Pacific Jewel' a couple of days later at Captain Cook dock, courtesy of Eptec, who were also painting the ship.
White.
With really big rollers.
Painting the Pacific Jewel en plein air at Glebe Island Wharf painted by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
Painting the 'Pacific Jewel' en plein air
at Glebe Island Wharf,
oil painting by artist Jane Bennett
Available 
When it started to rain again I didn't feel like going home so I went over to say hello to Chris and the guys and renew my acquaintance with the Adelaide. I was able to get a little shelter from the weather as they have containers and demountables.
The ex-HMAS Adelaide has been lying doggo off Glebe Island for over a year now. You can see it in the background of this canvas, to the left of the 'Pacific Jewel'.
The Adelaide has had a chequered career. Adelaide was the ship which intercepted SIEV 4 on 6th October 2001, which was the event that sparked the Children overboard affair
I have rather a collection of paintings of notorious ships e.g the 'MV Tampa'.  
Painting the ex HMAS Adelaide en plein air at Glebe Island Wharf painted by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
'The 'ex HMAS Adelaide' 1 year later
at Glebe Island wharf' 2010
oil painting on canvas 25 x 51cm
Available 

The seemingly never-ending saga of the poor old Adelaide continues. There's not much left of her to sink now! Almost everything that can be removed has been removed.
There is a huge gang of workmen clad in fluoro orange overalls ( excellent colour choice from my point of view - it is the complementary opposite to the pale grey-green of the hull) busy stripping her out, but there is still a 'Waiting for Godot' atmosphere hanging over this flurry of activity.
You see, we've been through this all before.
The vessel had been prepared for scuttling from its arrival in late 2009 to early 2010. Her mast was cut off so that it wouldn't become a navigational hazard once the ship was scuttled. Dangerous materials, weapons, systems and potential toxins were removed, and diver access holes were cut in the ship's flanks.
Originally the Adelaide was scheduled to have been sunk on the 27th March, 2010, in 32 metres of water, 1.7 kilometres offshore from Avoca Beach, until a literally last minute court challenge nipped this in the bud. Local stirrers campaigned to prevent the scuttling, with claims that the wreck had the "potential to affect tides and littoral sand drift", and that the "removal of chemicals and hazardous materials in the ship had not been completely thorough".
An appeal by the protest groups to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal three days before the sinking saw the project placed on hold. The case was to have been heard on 5 May 2010, but this was postponed until July.
On 15th September, the Tribunal finally ruled that scuttling of the ship could go ahead after the removal of canvas, insulation, any remaining wiring, (which allegedly may contain polychlorinated biphenyls) and exfoliating paint (which may allegedly contain red lead).
There will be another attempt to scuttle her in April 2011, but there are no guarantees that there won't be further court action to delay or even stop proceedings.
The suspense continues...


Painting the Pacific Jewel en plein air at Glebe Island Wharf painted by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
Painting 'Pacific Jewel' en plein air
at Glebe Island Wharf,
oil painting by artist Jane Bennett
Available 

I'm usually the only painter on the wharf.
Other people are painting the ship too! White, and with really big rollers. Here is a glimpse of them at the top of the orange crane in the background. When I first arrived and said to the security guard that I had come to paint the ship, this is what he thought I meant.
Painting the Pacific Jewel en plein air at Glebe Island Wharf painted by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
Painting 'Pacific Jewel' en plein air at Glebe Island Wharf,
oil painting by artist Jane Bennett
Available 
The 'Pacific Jewel' was officially launched with its present name at White Bay Wharf, only about 500 metres to the north, on 14 December 2009, less than a year ago. Originally christened the 'Crown Princess', she was built in 1989 and her maiden call was on the 6th July 1990. Her curved 'dolphin-like' profile was apparently designed by Renzo Piano. The 'Pacific Dawn', her sister ship, is also a frequent visitor to Barangaroo.
Painting the Pacific Jewel en plein air at Glebe Island Wharf painted by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
Painting 'Pacific Jewel' en plein air at Glebe Island Wharf,
oil painting by artist Jane Bennett
Available 
Due to the ongoing repairs during October 2010, three cruises for October and November (to Vanuatu and Noumea, Melbourne for the Melbourne Cup, and Fiji) had to be cancelled in the start of one of Australia's busiest cruise ship seasons.
Painting the Pacific Jewel en plein air at Glebe Island Wharf painted by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
Portrait of the artist at work
Available 

Painting the Pacific Jewel en plein air at Glebe Island Wharf painted by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
'The 'Pacific Jewel' at Glebe Island' 2010
oil painting on canvas 31 x 103cm.
Available 
The painting is completed.
This bit of bad luck for the ship was a bit of good luck for me. Normally a cruise ship is docked for a day or less, and the painting has to be small enough to be completed in the time available or the next time around. By now I have quite a comprehensive collection of 'Pacific Jewel' paintings from every conceivable viewpoint, several locations and at most hours of the day or night.

For more paintings and information about the 'MV Tampa':
See my Hungry Mile page in this blog
For more paintings and information about the ex-HMAS Adelaide:
See my White Bay Wharf / Glebe island Wharf page in this blog


Related posts


Wednesday 17 November 2010

Beyond the Sea

Invitation to an exhibition:

'Beyond the Sea' 
: an exhibition held by the Sydney Heritage Fleet and ASMA, The Australian Society of Marine Artists.
Opening night : Friday 26th November 2010 6 - 8pm
Wharf 7, Pirrama Road, Pyrmont 2009
Opening night admission : $10
RSVP Friday 19th November : please call (02) 9298 3888
The exhibition continues until 12th December
Hours 10am - 3pm
Admission free on all other days except for opening night

 Donation to the Sydney Heritage Fleet
I am donating this painting - it will be raffled and all proceeds are being donated to the Sydney Heritage Fleet
plein air oil painting of the tall ship 'James Craig' at Wharf 7 Pyrmont by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
'The Tall Ship 'James Craig' at Darling Harbour' 
2003  oil on paper 48 x 37 cm


This is painted opposite Wharf 7, the  headquarters of the Sydney Heritage Fleet.

  My Paintings will be for sale in the exhibition at Wharf 7, Headquarters of the Sydney Heritage Fleet

I will be one of the featured artists in this exhibition as my paintings depict historic moments in the development of both Pyrmont and Barangaroo.
plein air oil painting of Sydney Harbour from the roof of the Pyrmont Power Station by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
"Pyrmont and Miller's Point from the roof of Pyrmont Power station"  1993 
oil on canvas 91 x 122 cm
Enquiries about these and other Pyrmont, Millers Point, East Darling Harbour Wharves and Barangaroo paintings:

This canvas was painted from the roof of the old Pyrmont Power Station, now replaced by Star City Casino.The pile of rubble in the centre is an old signal box in the Pyrmont Goods Yard, the 'Spanish Cafe' in Baz Luhrman's classic Australian film 'Strictly Ballroom'. The bright red ship in the background is the notorious 'Tampa'! 
In the early 1980's,when I first started to paint in Pyrmont, the building in the centre of this painting was the site of Pier 13, where so many immigrantss first set foot on Australian soil. It was still connected to Jones Bay Road by an elegant land bridge. Later Pier 13 became the temporary casino, was painted a hideous shade of yellow and the land bridge was demolished. Pier 13 has since been replaced by 'Workplace6', home of 'Google' and Paul Signorelli's restaurants 'Gastronomia' and 'Biaggio'.
 Curving under the bridge is the old Pyrmont goods line, built in 1916, which looped through Darling Harbour and around Pyrmont across Wentworth Park and beyond. At vast expense, this goods line was torn up and replaced by the dubious benefit of light rail.
I have painted Pyrmont's metamorphosis from an industrial wasteland to a media and entertainment hub over a 30 year period. I painted from dozens of business and residential premises, painting panoramas of the dramatically changing urban landscape from rooftops, chimneys, demolition sites and even the summit of the half completed Anzac Bridge.

I will exhibit some of my Barangaroo paintings in this venue,showing the area's exciting transition from a working port to the preparations for its transformation into Sydney's new cultural and economic hub. I have been 'Artist in Residence' at Barangaroo since the early 2000's, compiling an archive of all the changes and so far I've maintained my position throughout the area's change of owners. I was granted unprecedented access to paint this area as a working port by Sydney Ports Corporation, Patrick Corporation and P & O. Now I am starting to paint the demolition and construction activities at Barangaroo South.


plein air oil painting of East Darling Harbour Wharves - now Barangaroo by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
'Barangaroo when it was a working port-The yard from the port captain's office'
2007 oil on canvas 91 x 122 cm
Enquiries about these and other Millers Point, East Darling Harbour Wharves and Barangaroo paintings:

This is Barangaroo as it used to be as a working port. Compare this painting with the empty wharf paintings that follow. Jeffrey Smart, eat your heart out!
plein air oil painting of East Darling Harbour Wharves - now Barangaroo by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
'The empty wharf'2007 oil painting on canvas 100 x 122cm
Enquiries about these and other Millers Point, East Darling Harbour Wharves and Barangaroo paintings:
The 2 horizontal paintings were painted from the same viewpoint exactly 1 year apart.
plein air oil painting of East Darling Harbour Wharves - now Barangaroo by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
'The Harbour Control Tower from the Hungry Mile' 
2008 oil on canvas 183 x 122cm.
Enquiries about these and other Millers Point, East Darling Harbour Wharves and Barangaroo paintings:

This canvas was painted as soon as the wharfies had left.
While the wharf was still operational I would never have been allowed to paint here as it was far too dangerous. Forklifts used to constantly whip in and out, and there was a deafening alarm that would go off when they did. I had earmarked this spot for an iconic painting as soon as I arrived. 
The doorway frames the Sydney Harbour Tower, the bond stores and the quirky architecture of the heritage Palisade Hotel perched on the golden sandstone escarpment to perfection.