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 corrosion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label corrosion. Show all posts

Monday 29 June 2020

Painting Spirit of Tasmania in drydock Garden Island

Today's painting on the deck shows a plein air painting of the Spirit of Tasmania 1 in Captain Cook drydock, Garden Island.

Plein air oil painting  of Spirit of Tasmania 1 in Garden Island Drydock  painted by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
GI 5 'Spirit of Tasmania 1 in Captain Cook drydock'
2013 oil on canvas 45 x 92cm


It was an amazing experience to watch the whole operation of drydocking and I was so lucky to be able to paint it from the floor of the drydock, with the immense bulk of the ship looming up above me.
On this occasion the Spirit of Tasmania 1 was in drydock for about 3 weeks between July and August 2013.
Every sea-going vessel has to undergo this maintenance process twice within a period of 5 years.
Plein air oil painting  of Spirit of Tasmania 1 in Garden Island Drydock  painted by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
GI 5 'Spirit of Tasmania 1 in Captain Cook drydock'
2013 oil on canvas 45 x 92cm


When the ship arrives at the dock, it has to be positioned accurately so that when the water is pumped out it will rest exactly on the blocks at the bottom of the dock.
Once the ship is in position, the entrance to the dock is closed using a watertight gate, known as a caisson, sealing the ship off from the rest of the harbour.
The time from when the stern of the ship first touches the blocks, to when the full weight of the ship is bourne by the blocks is the most crucial and potentially dangerous period in the entire operation.
The ship must rest on an even keel and not be lopsided or tilting down at one end.
Even 1 metre off the sender line could result in the ship toppling over.
Care also must be taken that the ship doesn't refloat after it is resting on the blocks.
When the ship is finally resting on the blocks it is called "Taking the blocks" and after all the water has been pumped out of the dock, then the inspection, cleaning and repairs can be carried out.

Plein air oil painting  of Garden Island Drydock  painted by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
GI 11 'Captain Cook drydock Garden Island'
2013 oil on canvas 25 x 51cm

An awe-inspiring 280 million litres of water had to be pumped out of the Captain Cook graving dock before work on the ship can begin.
It is a hypnotic sight to watch the water slowly drain over a period of several hours.
This is a painting of the southern end of the dock, and inside the walls you can see the black depth indicators pointing like giant rulers into the bottom of the dock.

Plein air oil painting  of Spirit of Tasmania 1 in Garden Island Drydock  painted by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
Plein air oil painting  of Spirit of Tasmania 1
in Garden Island Drydock





















Dry dock walls are built on a heroic scale. They need to resist the enormous hydrostatic forces unleashed when the dock is being dewatered.
They reminded me of the monumental architecture of lost ancient civilizations such as the Egyptian, Mesopotamian or Aztec.

Plein air oil painting from the bridge of Spirit of Tasmania 1 in Garden Island Drydock showing a forklift being lowered into the dock painted by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
GI 5B 'Fabulous flying forklift in Captain Cook drydock'
2013 oil on canvas 10 x 10cm

Heavy machinery
such as forklifts, cranes and scissor lifts were then lowered onto the dock floor by the two cranes on either side of the dock.
In my largest canvas you can see no fewer than 8 cranes, as well as 2 portaloos!
It was a very long walk up to the surface!

The first major job was to wash the slime off the outer shell plating with high pressure waterjets. Although this certainly does make the ship look much prettier, the real reason is that it helps reduce fuel consumption and emissions.
Then the outer shell plating is coated with anti- corrosive paint, as seawater takes an enormous toll on any surface exposed to it. Any parts of the ship that will be submerged are then painted with a coat of anti-fouling paint.

Plein air oil painting  of Spirit of Tasmania 1 in Garden Island Drydock  painted by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
GI 5A 'Workmen on Spirit of Tasmania 3
in Captain Cook drydock'
2013 oil on canvas 10 x 10cm 


















Propellor blades, rudders, underwater valves, cathodic protection systems, anchors and cables must be inspected for corrosion and cracks.
There was also extensive work on the interior and the stern doors.

Plein air oil painting from the bridge of Spirit of Tasmania 1 in Garden Island Drydock showing the Hammerhead Crane and the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the background painted by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
GI 7 'Andre on bridge of Spirit of Tasmania 1
in Captain Cook drydock'
2013 oil on canvas 25 x 51cm













I included many of the contracters in my series of paintings. This, painted from the bridge of the ship also shows the soon to be demolished Hammerhead Crane set against the scenic backdrop of  the Sydney Harbour Bridge.


Related Posts

Artist in Residence on the James Craig Part 1

Tuesday 2 August 2016

Rust bucket

The now derelict 'William Wallbank and Sons' was a foundry on the Parramatta Road, Auburn, dating from 1932.
One of their specialties had been making the components for brick making machines.
plein air oil painting of ladles at abandoned foundry "William Wallbank & Sons" in Auburn by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
AWW1 'Watching the forge fires fade 1
 'William Wallbank + Sons' 187 Parramatta Road'
2016 oil on canvas 56 x 76cm
Available




















In 2008 I exhibited a series of paintings that I had created of old brickworks at Eastwood, St Peters and Brookvale at the Museum of Sydney during the book launch of "The Brickmasters"  , a comprehensive history of brickmaking in Australia by Ron Ringer.
Several of my paintings of Brickworks at Brookvale. Eastwood and St Peters were included in this book. At the launch I met Frank Wallbank, who invited me to paint in the foundry, but unfortunately I delayed taking up his offer.
A friend alerted me to the foundry's closure and I was able to contact the new owner and arrange access to paint. I am kicking myself for not getting there while it was still working, but better late than never!
plein air oil painting of ladles at abandoned foundry "William Wallbank & Sons" in Auburn by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
AWW2 'Watching the forge fires fade
('William Wallbank + Sons' )

2016 oil on canvas 61 x 91cm
Highly Commended 2016 Auburn Art Prize
Available
 In a foundry, metal is melted into liquid in a furnace.
To cast the metal into shapes, the molten liquid is then poured into a mould in the shape of the desired part.
Simple designs can be made in a single piece or solid pattern.
More complex designs are made in two parts, known as a split pattern, which has a top section, or "cope", and a bottom section, called a "drag".
Patterns can be made from wax, wood, plastic, or metal.

plein air oil painting of ladles at abandoned foundry "William Wallbank & Sons" in Auburn by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
AWW2 'Watching the forge fires fade
('William Wallbank + Sons' )

2016 oil on canvas 61 x 91cm
Highly Commended 2016 Auburn Art Prize 
Available


















Traditionally, moulds were poured by hand, using ladles. It must have been horrifically dangerous.
I was told that all the foundry workers were supposed to wear a special sort of protective covering over their boots, similar to old-fashioned "spats" to stop the molten metal droplets burning their skin, but these were unpopular as the metal would still find a way to trickle down the gap and into their boots. Instead of protecting, the boot covering seemed to cause even more damage.
plein air oil painting of ladles at abandoned foundry "William Wallbank & Sons" in Auburn by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
AWW2 'Watching the forge fires fade
('William Wallbank + Sons' )

2016 oil on canvas 61 x 91cm
Highly Commended 2016 Auburn Art Prize 
Available




















Now modern foundries use robots or automatic pouring machines to pour the molten metal.
As the metal cools it solidifies and then the mould (known as a 'casting') is removed.
plein air oil painting of ladles at abandoned foundry "William Wallbank & Sons" in Auburn by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
AWW2 'Watching the forge fires fade
('William Wallbank + Sons' )

2016 oil on canvas 61 x 91cm
Highly Commended 2016 Auburn Art Prize
Available



My canvas of this set of 3 abandoned ladles was recently runner-up in the 2016 Auburn Art Prize, held in the Peacock Gallery opposite the Botanical Gardens.
The central ladle has a capacity of 7 tons, and is flanked by a "three tonner" on the left, and a "four tonner" on the right.

plein air oil painting of ladles at abandoned foundry "William Wallbank & Sons" in Auburn by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
AWW3 'Watching the forge fires fade  3-
'William Wallbank + Sons' 187 Parramatta Road'
2016 oil on canvas 51 x 71cm
Available


















All of these ladles would date from at least 70 years ago.
They could even date from the earliest years of the foundry, as they are all rivetted, so they must date from a time before welding had replaced rivetting. 
Only the largest ladles were fitted with brakes to help modulate the flow of pouring the molten metal.

plein air oil painting of ladles at abandoned foundry "William Wallbank & Sons" in Auburn by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
AWW4 'Rust Bucket' 7 ton ladle,
William Wallbank + Sons foundry 
2017 oil on canvas 122 x 91cm
PRIVATE COLLECTION : SYDNEY























I'm only able to gain access to paint in my strange new "studio" when the gates are opened to remove machinery, and I need to ring up on the night before.
Sometimes potential new owners come to inspect the premises, but they rarely stay for long.

Friday 18 July 2014

Ozymandias

Every ruin is a reminder that all things are destined for oblivion.
I am both artist and historian; painting amidst the detritus of the industrial past, walking under rusty girders in the shadow of toppled giants.
Plein air mixed media drawing of the now demolished Hammerhead Crane, Garden Island painted by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
'Under the Hammerhead Crane'
2014 ink pastel charcoal on paper 115 x 80cm
FINALIST : 2014 KOGARAH ART PRIZE
FINALIST : 2014 MOSMAN ART PRIZE
Available 


This is a mixed media painting of the Hammerhead Crane, which unfortunately is now being demolished, despite its iconic heritage status and distinguished history.
By now the "hammerhead" of the crane has been almost completely dismantled.
Instead of painting from the more familiar viewpoint of Mrs Macquarie's Chair opposite, I tackled the daunting bureaucracy of the Navy for permission to paint 'en plein air' on Garden Island itself.
I stood directly underneath the Crane and looked up into the top of the soaring structure, to capture its sheer scale. It is the embodiment of the 18th century concept of the sublime.
This painting has now been chosen as a finalist in both the Kogarah Art Prize and the Mosman Art Prize.
People are absent in many of my paintings, even though I trained as a figure painter and for 2 decades spent several days a week drawing and painting figures from life. I find that leaving out figures or relegating them to the role of "staffage" enhances the sense of the powerlessness of the individual against the inexorable forces of destruction and change. The crane itself is the best homage to the absent and largely forgotten workers who created the industrial landscapes that are now being destroyed.
Plein air mixed media drawing of the now demolished Hammerhead Crane, Garden Island painted by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
GIHC13 'The Hammerhead Crane - homage to Piranesi' 

2014 ink gouache on paper 56 x 76cm
Available
Spaces that have a sense of history, place and meaning, find an echo in art history.
The safety nets resemble fan vaulting in a ruined Gothic abbey and the zig-zag tangle of girders and scaffolding recall Piranesi's images of the 'Carceri' or the wreckage of the dying Roman Empire.
The Hammerhead Crane was built during World War II, and symbolized industrial might, the march of progress and confidence in the values of Western civilization.
The mood of past triumphalism is now tempered by the present reality of scuffed textures, rust and tarnished metal.
Even as a victim of the slow death of de-industrialization, it had retained a poignant grandeur as industrial memento mori.
The last gasp of the Industrial Revolution, and of Sydney's Working Harbour.
In the words of Shelley's ruin-poem Ozymandias "Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
Except that a future civilization would be extremely lucky to be able to find any trace of our heroic past.


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Monday 14 April 2014

Under the Hammer

Before the Navy finally booted me off Garden Island, I made sure that I tackled some large scale drawings
Since 2007, due to real or perceived safety issues, temporary catch platforms have been suspended from the long arm and short arm jibs. They spoil the line, but apparently provide access to allow condition inspections to be performed safely.
At first glance, it looks as though the Hammerhead Crane has 5 legs.
However, one of these "legs" is a lift to give access from the wharf to the slew ring level (seen in the centre at the top of my drawing). As the crane is 61m high, this wasn't an idle luxury.
Unfortunately this lift has been out of operation since 1998.
While drawing this, I met probably the last person to have ever used the lift. He was escorting a group of photographers to the top, and had pressed the lift button when he heard a muffled explosion, and then found his hands were black with graphite.
He said that he was lucky and got off lightly. I think he was right.

plein air charcoal and ink drawng of the Hammerhead Crane, Garden Island by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
'Under the Hammerhead Crane' 2014
ink, pastel, charcoal,graphite on paper 140 x 110cm
WINNER : 2014 DRAWING PRIZE ROYAL EASTER SHOW
Enquiries


My hands were also black with graphite after creating this enormous drawing.
I stood directly underneath and looked up into the top of the soaring structure.
By looking up I sought to capture the Burke and Longinus concept of the "sublime", with its overtones of awe, terror and vertigo, rather than the picturesque aspect of the typical "hammerhead" profile, a view familiar from Mrs Macquarie's Chair opposite.
The girders were silhouetted against the open sky; the safety nets resembling fan vaulting in a ruined Gothic abbey.
While creating this enormous drawing, I also remembered Piranesi's devastating images of Roman ruins, dangerously broken and overgrown amid the wreckage of a dead civilization.
 GIHC7 'Under the Hammerhead Crane'
2014 ink pastel charcoal on paper 76 x 56cm
























I am an artist and historian, born into a time and place where only sport and business are valued. Drawing on the ruins of the industrial past , walking under rusty girders in the shadow of toppled giants.
Every ruin is implicitly a reminder that all things are destined for oblivion.
The Hammerhead Crane was built to demonstrate industrial might and the march of progress.
Even as a victim of the slow death of de-industrialization, it retains a poignant grandeur.
This was exhibited in my solo show "Under the Hammer" at the Frances Keevil Gallery from November 18th - December 7th 2014.


Related Posts






Related articles


"inheritance"- Post "Hammerhead Crane-Garden Island under threat"

"Inheritance" Post - Navy Fleet Review- an opportunity missed


Friday 17 January 2014

Rust never sleeps : Painting the Hammerhead Crane Part 2


plein air oil painting of the Hammerhead Crane from Garden Island by artist Jane Bennett
Starting to paint my canvas of the 
"Hammerhead Crane from Garden Island" 
2014 oil on canvas 91 x 61cm
Enquiries
The Hammerhead Crane was constructed between 1944 – 1951 as part of a major development of the Garden Island naval facilities that also included the Captain Cook graving dock.
It was originally intended to serve the ships of both the British and Australian Navies.
 The British Navy had access to the 250 ton Hammerhead Crane at Singapore until 1942. When Singapore fell, this crane was destroyed, but its design and steelwork construction drawings were reused for the Garden Island crane.

plein air oil painting of the Hammerhead Crane from Garden Island by artist Jane Bennett
Starting to paint my canvas of the 
"Hammerhead Crane from Garden Island" 
2014 oil on canvas 91 x 61cm
Enquiries

The crane designer was Sir William Arrol Co Ltd of Glasgow, with Sir Alexander Gibb and Partners of London as consultants.
The 250 ton crane was the largest size of the 18 Arrol Titans constructed from 1910 to 1960. The Garden Island Hammerhead Crane was one of the six 250 ton Arrol Titans.
plein air oil painting of the Hammerhead Crane from Garden Island by artist Jane Bennett
Painting my canvas of the 
"Hammerhead Crane from Garden Island" 
2014 oil on canvas 91 x 61cm
Enquiries

Between 1989 – 1991  the crane capacity was reduced and inspections and repairs were carried out.
In 1995 Jigger hoist was withdrawn from service due to runway corrosion.
1996 seems to have been the last known date of operation.

plein air oil painting of the Hammerhead Crane from Garden Island by artist Jane Bennett
Painting my canvas of the 
"Hammerhead Crane from Garden Island" 
2014 oil on canvas 91 x 61cm
Enquiries



























Large riveted structures have an inherent problem.
They have, by the nature of their construction, many inaccessible surfaces which can't be completely sealed against water and are therefore prone to corrosion.

plein air oil painting of the Hammerhead Crane from Garden Island by artist Jane Bennett
Work in progress on the easel
"Hammerhead Crane from Garden Island" 
2014 oil on canvas 91 x 61cm


This problem was well understood by the designers of the Hammerhead.
Their specifications required that all surfaces to be brought together should be painted with two coats of red lead in boiled linseed oil as a corrosion protective coating, before fit up and riveting. The surfaces were supposed to be brought together while the 2nd paint layer was still wet.
This was the normal procedure to limit corrosion on inaccessible surfaces.

plein air oil painting of the Hammerhead Crane from Garden Island by artist Jane Bennett
Painting my canvas of the 
"Hammerhead Crane from Garden Island" 
2014 oil on canvas 91 x 61cm




























However, according to the Hammerhead Crane report by Godden Mackay Logan an analysis of the paint layers is as follows:
Substrate: Dark Brown Mill Scale on Steel
First paint layer: Yellow Zinc Chromate Primer
Second Paint Layer: Light Grey Aluminium Top-Coat
Third Paint Layer: Dark Orange Red Lead Primer
Fourth Paint Layer: Grey Alkyd MIO

plein air oil painting of the Hammerhead Crane from Garden Island by artist Jane Bennett
Painting my canvas of the 
"Hammerhead Crane from Garden Island" 
2014 oil on canvas 91 x 61cm


A Zinc Chromate primer as well as a second coat of grey aluminium paint lie underneath the layer of red lead over most of the crane. 
This was completely contrary to the original specifications of the designers. And with good reason.
Red lead is intended for direct application to ferrous substrates, so it is of limited value when applied over existing paint. 
The National Paints product sheet says that red lead primers are " not suitable for over coating of zinc primed steel".
So there.
plein air oil painting of the Hammerhead Crane from Garden Island by artist Jane Bennett
Painting my canvas of the 
"Hammerhead Crane from Garden Island" 
2014 oil on canvas 91 x 61cm
Enquiries



























Red lead/Lead tetraoxide (Formula: Pb3O4) is a bright red, heavy, water and alcohol insoluble, poisonous compound and has been used as a pigment since the time of the Roman empire. It was originally known as minium, after the Minius River in northwest Spain where it was first mined. Red lead was usually obtained as a powder by heating the yellow lead ore known as litharge. In the medieval period it was used as a pigment in the production of illuminated manuscripts, and gave its name to the miniature.
In combination with linseed oil, red lead is incomparably useful as a thick, long-lasting anti-corrosive paint.
However red lead  is also notoriously and horribly toxic. 
But then, so is zinc chromate.
plein air oil painting of the Hammerhead Crane from Garden Island by artist Jane Bennett
Painting my canvas of the 
"Hammerhead Crane from Garden Island" 
2014 oil on canvas 91 x 61cm





























Every now and then I can see a sallow greenish yellow hue seeping mockingly through the apparently uniform grey top coat. 
What were they thinking when they applied the zinc chromate primer? 
The combination of a zinc based primer and aluminium based 2nd coat makes me suspect that the first painters of the Hammerhead were attempting a "zinc-alume" solution. The theory is that aluminium and zinc oxides will migrate to a scratched surface and provide enhanced corrosion protection. 
In practice, it didn't work.
plein air oil painting of the Hammerhead Crane from Garden Island by artist Jane Bennett
GIHC6 ' Looking up at the Hammerhead Crane'
2014 oil on paper 12 x 12cm

Enquiries


























There are large areas of breakdown and surface corrosion occurring on the Hammerhead Crane where the paint layers have failed.
Rusting through the paint due to corroding millscale is also common.
Rust is a common metaphor, even a cliche, for slow decay. It gradually but thoroughly corrupts robust iron and steel metal into a soft crumbling powder.
In my paintings, I am grateful for the patches of rust. They add a dash of much needed warmth and texture to contrast with the monotony of the cool grey colour of the steel.
But in real life, rust is something I am sorry to see. It speaks of neglect, of compromise, of lack of foresight, of laziness, of apathy, of failure to preserve and protect.
Decay is not merely physical.