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 Workplace6. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Workplace6. Show all posts

Tuesday 30 November 2010

Recently Sold Paintings : Pyrmont Paintings at Workplace 6

Plein air oil painting  of Union Square Pyrmont and Pyrmont Street from the roof of the Pyrmont Power Station painted by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
Pyrmont Panorama :
Union Square from the Roof of Pyrmont Power Station
1993 oil on canvas 91 x 122cm
SOLD
PRIVATE COLLECTION : SYDNEY
Enquiries about other Pyrmont paintings

This canvas was from one of my favourite studios - in Pyrmont the roof of the old Pyrmont Power Station.
Many of my paintings concentrate on the spectacular Sydney Harbour views, but for a change I painted the heritage precinct of worker’s cottages, Victorian terraces and bond stores, little knowing how much this view would soon change.
The bond stores next to the vacant lot would soon make way for the substation between Pyrmont and Harris streets. The old “Duke of Edinburgh” hotel on the corner of Union and Harris Streets was renovated and is now called the “Harlequin Inn”.
The handsome sandstone building with a red tiled roof was the Pyrmont Post Office, and has now become the Pyrmont branch of the Bendigo Community Bank.
I exhibited this work as part of my Pyrmont display at Workplace6 during the Sydney Open.
While that exhibition was not intended to be a commercial show, many people contacted my gallery, the Frances Keevil Gallery afterwards to enquire about the paintings.

Saturday 27 November 2010

My Paintings at Sydney Open- Part 2




My exhibition of Pyrmont paintings at 'Workplace6'







Easel on left:
above: 'R.E.V.Y. from the top of the Elcom building' 1991 oil on board 31 x 25cm

centre:'Pyrmont Goods Yard and Miller's Point from the roof of the Pyrmont Power Station' 1993 oil on canvas 91 x 122cm

Easel on right:
above: 'Early morning, Jones Bay Road' 1997 oil on canvas 41 x 51cm

centre:'Building Star City Casino' 1995 oil on canvas 91 x 122cm

Enquiries about my Pyrmont paintings:


Note the reflections on the polished floor.
plein air oil paintings of Pyrmont exhibited at the Sydney Open in the Workplace6 building by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett







Easel on left:
'Closing the gap' 1995 oil on canvas 91 x 122cm

Enquiries about my Pyrmont paintings:

Tuesday 26 October 2010

My exhibition at the Sydney Open

An Architectural Adventure
presented by the Historic Houses Trust
My paintings will be on exhibition at several venues during the Sydney Open, a biennial event presented by Historic Houses Trust that showcases Sydney’s architectural icons.
On display for one day only on Sunday 7th November 2010
A Blast from the Past at Workplace6
I will exhibit some of my early Pyrmont paintings at Workplace6, Pirrama Road opposite Star City Casino.
I painted in Pyrmont from the early 1980's until now. These paintings show how far Pyrmont has come since its dark days as an industrial wasteland.
I have witnessed many historic moments in Pyrmont’s metamorphosis. The site of Workplace6 was then occupied by Pier 13, where so many immigrants first set foot on Australian soil. One of the paintings of Pyrmont in the early 1990's, a 'bird's eye view' painted from the rooftop of the old Pyrmont Power Station, ( now replaced by the Star City Casino) shows a big red ship in the background - the now notorious 'Tampa'!
 I have already sampled the delights of Workplace6, as I was invited to the opening of Paul Signorelli's new foodie haven 'Gastronomia' as a member of PUCC, the Pyrmont Ultimo Chamber of Commerce.
Pyrmont has certainly changed - I used to have to take my own lunch for a start! The pubs were then a 'no go' area for anyone who wasn’t looking for hard core trouble! I only experienced the odd bit of bother from the local larrikins, and as the locals got used to having an 'Artist in Residence' they would even keep an eye on my belongings and drag my paintings under cover for me if it started to rain. I felt as though I had been adopted as an honorary resident! I used to leave all my stuff lying around in the middle of Jones Bay Road (now called 'Pirrama Road) - there were few cars and the only strangers were from the cruise ships that still docked at Pier 13.
My paintings are a narrative of the abandonment, decay, destruction and reconstruction of an inner-city landscape – a metaphor for deeper changes within Australia. The mood has changed forever, and only my works remain as testament to the passing of an era.
Plein air mixed media drawing of Pyrmont Goods Yard from the roof of Pyrmont Power Station by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
P112   Pyrmont Goods Yard from
top of Pyrmont Power Station 
1991  ink on paper105  x131cm
Available



















Pyrmont Goods Yard, Darling Island and Pier 13 from the roof of Pyrmont Power Station. The old Pyrmont/Darling Island goods line has only just ceased operations and the gleaming white Australian National Maritime Museum has only just been built. Cruise ships still docked at Pier 13.
The cluster of sheds under the land bridge to Pier 13 were old signal boxes later refurbished to be sets for the filming of the flamenco scenes of the iconic Baz Luhrman film 'Strictly Ballroom'.
The East Darling Harbour Wharves, often known as the 'Hungry Mile' and now re-christened 'Barangaroo') are in the background.
 
Plein air oil painting from the roof of the Pyrmont Power Station painted by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
'Construction of Star City Casino
from the top of Pyrmont Power Station' 1996
oil painting on board 40 x 89cm
Available
The long narrow building on the left, Pier 13, was once connected to Jones Bay Road by a land bridge.
Then Pier 13 became the temporary casino, painted bright yellow and the land bridge was demolished. Jones Bay Road has since been renamed Pirrama Road and now leads to the steps of Star City Casino, which is now being extensively renovated.
Workplace6 now occupies the site where Pier 13 once stood.
The brilliantly coloured ships in the background are painted to scale; they were so immense that they towered over the buildings. One of the great delights of painting in Pyrmont used to be watching the ebb and flow of ships–sturdy ferries chugging past, enormous cargo ships and majestic tankers.
I will also be exhibiting some of my Barangaroo paintings at '30 The Bond', the LendLease headquarters as part of the 'Sydney Open' on Sunday 7th November 2010 from 9.30-5pm.


Related posts
 2014 solo exhibition "Under the Hammer"
2011 solo exhibition "May close without warning"
Barangaroo : Red Square, the Drill Rig and a little archaeology