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 rail heritage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rail heritage. Show all posts

Thursday 24 August 2017

Nocturne - painting Locomotive 3642 steaming

plein air nocturne oil painting of steam locomotive 3642 steaming outside the Large Erecting Shop, Eveleigh Railway Workshops by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
3642 steaming at night from the Large
 2017 oil on canvas tondo 31 x 31cm


'3642 steaming at night from the
 Large Erecting Shop, Eveleigh Railway Workshops'
 2017 oil on canvas 15 x 31cm


'Carriage and windows, night,
Large Erecting Shop'

2017 oil on canvas 25 x 20cm
Available

On Thursday 20th July the heritage steam locomotive 3642 made a brief nocturnal visit to the Large Erecting Shop, Eveleigh Railway Workshops.
Despite the biting cold and sharp gusts of wind, I managed to paint 2 small oil studies of 3642 steaming outside the shed at night, as well as an interior of the Large Erecting Shop, before my fingers finally became too numb to hold a brush.
plein air nocturne oil painting of steam locomotive 3642 steaming outside the Large Erecting Shop, Eveleigh Railway Workshops by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
'3642 steaming at night from the Large Erecting Shop,
Eveleigh Railway Workshops'
2017 oil on canvas 15 x 31cm

Available 
3642 was making this brief pit-stop at Eveleigh, before a historic journey to celebrate 150 years since the first regular passenger train travelled from Penrith to Weatherboard (known today as Wentworth Falls).
plein air nocturne oil painting of steam locomotive 3642 steaming outside the Large Erecting Shop, Eveleigh Railway Workshops by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
















plein air nocturne oil painting of steam locomotive 3642 steaming outside the Large Erecting Shop, Eveleigh Railway Workshops by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
'3642 steaming at night from the Large'
2017 oil on canvas 31 x 31cm



















3642 was built for the New South Wales Government Railways in 1926 by Clyde Engineering and hauled passenger trains throughout NSW.
Originally painted black, it was painted green in the mid-1930s, but repainted black at the start of World War II.
It was withdrawn from operational service in September 1969, and moved to the NSW Rail Transport Museum until cracking was discovered in its firebox in 1973.
3642 was sent to Goulburn Roundhouse in 1979 to be overhauled and returned to service in November 1981.
In December 1994, 3642 was again withdrawn from service when the rear driving axle failed an ultrasonic test, and became a static exhibit at Thirlmere until restoration work began in 2006.
It returned to service in March 2008 and by the end of the year, the engine was yet again repainted green.

In July 2011, it was taken out of service for an overhaul before returning to service in April 2012.
plein air nocturne oil painting of steam locomotive 3642 steaming outside the Large Erecting Shop, Eveleigh Railway Workshops by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
'3642 steaming at night from the Large'
2017 oil on canvas 31 x 31cm
Available

My first small oil study was a straightforward rendering of the locomotive, but I had also brought a small tondo (circular canvas) to experiment with a different sort of composition.
I used the huge and very sturdy doors of the shed to frame the steaming locomotive, and the tracks snake their way directly towards the viewer.
The night lights turned the steam into puffs of iridescent blue, mauve and rose. 
More paintings of Eveleigh Railway Workshops at my Eveleigh page in this blog

Thursday 18 May 2017

Scar Tissue

Exploring disused manufacturing can sometimes be a bit depressing – all that decay, all those jobs that no longer exist, all that busy industry that has gone.
I have been painting in the increasingly empty Large Erecting Shop of the Eveleigh Railway Workshops, as they are being slowly stripped of all but the barest essentials,
leaving desolate floors and abandoned walkways.
Echos follow your every move, mimicking and daring you to make your presence known.
Plein air oil painting of the interior of the Large Erecting Shop in the Eveleigh Railway Workshops painted by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
'Release' 2017 oil on canvas 41 x 31cm
Painting is less documentary, more subjective,definitely slower and more labour intensive than photography.
However these qualities can be assets as well.
The painter has to select one image showing a definitive moment and yet implying others, to reveal layers of meaning that reward further viewing.
A bit like an onion. And sometimes it can make you want to cry.
I value the quality of authenticity, of being a witness.
This practice of painting on site produces a more genuinely felt memory of my experience and an understanding of the location’s properties and mood, providing me with a truer record of the colour palette than photography.
Plein air oil painting of the interior of the Large Erecting Shop in the Eveleigh Railway Workshops painted by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
'Release' 2017 oil on canvas 41 x 31cm
Enquiries



 




















With the removal of so many items, I focus intensely on what remains. Instead of panoramas of the interior, I am working on a series of close ups of details I have previously overlooked, attempting to preserve what is left of the once chaotic jumble of relics of over 100 years of railway history.
The paint itself can give a feeling of the volume and presence of the scene being painted.
Texture such as rust, stains or water damage can be scraped back with a palette knife or engraved into the surface. The term for this is “sgraffito”.
Plein air oil painting of the interior of the Large Erecting Shop in the Eveleigh Railway Workshops painted by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
'Release' 2017 oil on canvas 41 x 31cm
Enquiries

 













The colours and textures, crumbling render, faded pigments, verdigris, scrapes and scratches – the scar tissue that stand witness to moments in time and history, may be lost in the rush towards the future.

Tuesday 28 March 2017

This is how the light gets in

“Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in.

“Anthem,” by Leonard Cohen from his 1992 album The Future.
Plein air oil painting of windows in the interior of the Large Erecting Shop in the Eveleigh Railway Workshops painted by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
Starting a small square canvas 46 x 46cm
of two windows and a door in the
Large Erecting Shop, Eveleigh Railway Workshops
Enquiries
These are healing words to someone who often struggles under the unbearable weight of perfectionism. It is more than a confrontation with the strange beauty of broken things.
It is a powerful message of hope in dark times.There is a crack in everything whether a physical object such as a piece of machinery, or even a state of mind.
But that’s where the light gets in, and that’s where we can find the transcendence we need to interpret painful events in a wider context.
Literally, nothing, and nobody is perfect.That should not be a source of despair or frustration.
Imperfection is a sign of life.
Plein air oil painting of windows in the interior of the Large Erecting Shop in the Eveleigh Railway Workshops painted by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
Starting a small square canvas 46 x 46cm
of two windows and a door in the
Large Erecting Shop, Eveleigh Railway Workshops
Enquiries
If the purpose of a window is to be able to let an observer see outside, or to illuminate the interior, the windows of the Large Erecting Shop of the Eveleigh Railway Workshops fail spectacularly.
Plein air oil painting of windows in the interior of the Large Erecting Shop in the Eveleigh Railway Workshops painted by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
'2 windows and a door in the Large Erecting Shop,
Eveleigh Railway Workshops'
2017 oil on canvas 46 x 46cm
Enquiries
However, the evocative effects created by sunlight filtering through the grid of rusty bars rival the stained glass of Chartres Cathedral.
Plein air oil painting of windows in the interior of the Large Erecting Shop in the Eveleigh Railway Workshops painted by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
'2 windows and a door in the Large Erecting Shop,
Eveleigh Railway Workshops'
2017 oil on canvas 46 x 46cm
Enquiries
Every pane is a unique mix of translucency and texture.
Plein air oil painting of windows in the interior of the Large Erecting Shop in the Eveleigh Railway Workshops painted by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
Starting a 91 x 61cm canvas
of the strange green window.
" 2 windows and a door, Large Erecting Shop,
Eveleigh Railway Workshops' 2017
oil on canvas 46 x 46cm 
Enquiries
Their ethereal opalescent quality is not caused by expensive designer frosting, but by more than a century's buildup of deposits of dirt, pigeon droppings, steam and diesel fumes.
Plein air oil painting of windows in the interior of the Large Erecting Shop in the Eveleigh Railway Workshops painted by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
Starting a 91 x 61cm canvas
of the strange green window.
Enquiries
And there are cracks galore.
Plein air oil painting of windows in the interior of the Large Erecting Shop in the Eveleigh Railway Workshops painted by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
Starting a 91 x 61cm canvas
of the strange green window.
Enquiries
Other imperfections abound.
Plein air oil painting of windows in the interior of the Large Erecting Shop in the Eveleigh Railway Workshops painted by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
Half finished 91 x 61cm canvas
of the strange green window.
'2 windows and a door in the
Large Erecting Shop,
Eveleigh Railway Workshops'
2017 oil on canvas 46 x 46cm"
Enquiries
Ghost signs warning of the dangers of long lost machinery alternate with boarded over panes in abstract patterns that would make Mondriaan's head spin.
Plein air oil painting of windows in the interior of the Large Erecting Shop in the Eveleigh Railway Workshops painted by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
Half finished 91 x 61cm canvas of the strange green window.
Enquiries
Doors are abruptly cut into them, apparently at random.
Plein air oil painting of windows in the interior of the Large Erecting Shop in the Eveleigh Railway Workshops painted by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
Half finished 91 x 61cm canvas of the strange green window.
Enquiries : janecooperbennett@gmail.com
An inexplicably green pane of glass casts an eerie phosphorescent glow.
Plein air oil painting of windows in the interior of the Large Erecting Shop in the Eveleigh Railway Workshops painted by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
"Window with pane of green glass"
2017 oil on canvas 91 x 61cm
Enquiries
When the Large Erecting Shop is redeveloped, the windows will be replaced with uncracked clear panes to match the rest of the gentrified ATP.
No rogue panes of eldritch green glass will startle the viewer with their otherworldly light. They will be made safe, watertight, functional, identical and boring.
The chaotic jumble of heritage machinery in the Large Erecting Shop will be culled and tamed. There will be nothing accidental, mysterious or inexplicable.
There will soon be no cracks left to let the light in.
More paintings of the Eveleigh Railway Workshops

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The fire within

Wednesday 8 March 2017

Ghost train

Plein air oil painting of interior of the Large Erecting Shop in Eveleigh Railway Workshops painted by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
Work in progress - 'Engine shop,
Large Erecting Shop, Eveleigh Railway Workshops'
2017 oil on canvas 46 x 46cm
There has been a lot of uncertainty about the future of the 3801 Ltd, and even of the Large Erecting Shop itself. Many of the relics will probably be lost or put into storage if the site is to become a running shed. This would mean that trains would still run from the shed, but no repair or maintenance work could be carried out. Anything not required merely to run the trains would then be removed from the interior and either sent to Thirlmere, put in storage or even put in a skip bin.
Already a lot of items have been put in the skip or just disappeared.
Plein air oil painting of interior of the Large Erecting Shop in Eveleigh Railway Workshops painted by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
Work in progress - 'Engine shop,
Large Erecting Shop, Eveleigh Railway Workshops'
2017 oil on canvas 46 x 46cm
This old office in the Large Erecting shop of Eveleigh Railway Workshops, had been used to store stacks of windows and doors waiting to be repaired to refurbish a carriage.
In front of it are lathes, drills and boxes of rusting tools that obviously are many decades old.
Plein air oil painting of interior of the Large Erecting Shop in Eveleigh Railway Workshops painted by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
Work in progress - 'Engine shop,
Large Erecting Shop, Eveleigh Railway Workshops'
2017 oil on canvas 46 x 46cm
This old office is an example of the sort of item that may not be kept, despite its historical interest.
Before it was used to store windows, it had been the headquarters of the 51⁄2 year restoration of 3830, which was carried out by a team of about 12 volunteers from the Powerhouse Museum and 3801 Limited.
There are still ghost signs that haven't been erased from when the restoration of 3830 started in 1992.
Plein air oil painting of interior of the Large Erecting Shop in Eveleigh Railway Workshops painted by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
Work in progress - 'Engine shop,
Large Erecting Shop, Eveleigh Railway Workshops'
2017 oil on canvas 46 x 46cm
Enquiries
On the weathered sky blue boards are inscriptions in white chalk about its time of service.
"3830 18 years 11 months 4 days
Into service 27/9/49
Withdrawn 31/10/67 (Illegible) birthday 23 years
Cost £53,145/2/0 Basic Wage 4/8 11/20d/hour
Builders' No 170 40 hours £8/12/0 approx"

Plein air oil painting of interior of the Large Erecting Shop in Eveleigh Railway Workshops painted by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
Work in progress - 'Engine shop,
Large Erecting Shop,
Eveleigh Railway Workshops'
2017 oil on canvas 46 x 46cm
The blackboard on the left hand side of the window of the old office has a mysterious list of the 38 class locos, split into 2 sections.
The left hand side of the blackboard starts with 3826, 3830, 3802, 3801, 3810, 3812, 3825, 3804, 3813, 3826, 3823, 3818, 3808, 3807, then there is a vertical line.
On the other side 3806 has been almost erased, then 3814, 3811, 3819, 3828, 3806, 3809, 3811, then a few illegible words with "38's are great mate" written over them.
Plein air oil painting of interior of the Large Erecting Shop in Eveleigh Railway Workshops painted by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
'Engine shop, Large Erecting Shop,
Eveleigh Railway Workshops'
2017 oil on canvas 46 x 46cm
I had wondered why the numbers had been written in such a haphazard order, and why some were missing and others repeated.
It was obviously not chronological, but there was obviously a reason behind it.
The secret was finally revealed by a veteran of the restoration.
The 3830 was a sort of 'Frankenstein's monster', composed of parts cannibalized from other 38 class locos.
The list of 38 class locos refers to the original source of particular items that finally ended up as part of 3830.
Ironically, the current (although now non-functioning) boiler of the 3830, was the original boiler of the 3801! The saga of the many attempts to fix /replace the current boiler of 3801 has been dragging on since 2007.
Now in 2020, ironically the boiler has been fixed and the loco is operational, but due to the Covid restrictions, the planned grand opening has had to be postponed.
Plein air oil painting of interior of the Large Erecting Shop in Eveleigh Railway Workshops painted by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
'Engine shop, Large Erecting Shop,
Eveleigh Railway Workshops'
2017 oil on canvas 46 x 46cm
Unfortunately restoration and maintenance may not be regarded as priorities in the proposed future of this building.
I think that this is a short sighted policy that shows an appalling lack of respect to all the hard work carried out over so many decades by so many volunteers. This attitude will lead to the loss of irreplaceable heritage items and skills.

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Thursday 29 November 2012

Wrong side of the tracks - Darling Island Bond and Free

Recently I have been painting yet another magnificent ruin from the notorious Wakil collection of derelict buildings.
The Wakils, who also own the Terminus Hotel and the old milkbar on the corner of John and Harris Street seem to be obsessed with playing a 30 year long game of Monopoly...with real buildings.
This is the Darling Island Bond and Free Store at 12 Pyrmont Street, Pyrmont.
My first drawings and paintings of this building date from nearly 30 years ago, and the changes are almost imperceptible. On the southern side, windows were cut into the brickwork during the 1980s. The plane trees have grown so that they obscure my view of the row of charming 1880s terraces next door. The residents of 14 Pyrmont St had planted ivy which crept up the wall, but later they cut the ivy and it died off before it could continue its conquest.
Otherwise it is as though I have been sent back in the Tardis to the Pyrmont of the 1980s.

Plein air oil painting of abandoned derelict 'Darling Island Bond and Free' warehouse, Pyrmont st Pyrmont by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
Painting "Darling Island Bond and Free"
en plein air, in front of 27 Pyrmont Street
Sold
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Originally this bond store was home of "Australian Thermite Company Pty Ltd" and must have been built either just before the First World War or during its first few months.
As far as I know, the cutting for the Pyrmont Goods Line which curves around the north of this building dates from about 1911-14 (?) so the Bond store would have been built around then. It also has a faint whiff of the utilitarian 'Federation Free' style architecture seen in other red brick storehouses around the Pyrmont peninsula such as the Royal Edward Victualling Yards.


Plein air oil painting of abandoned derelict 'Darling Island Bond and Free' warehouse, Pyrmont st Pyrmont by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
My painting of "Darling Island Bond and Free"
2012 oil on canvas 61 x 51cm
on my french box easel, in Pyrmont Street
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Thermite is a mix of aluminium oxide and another metal oxide (usually iron).
It was used for welding in-place of thick steel sections such as locomotive axle-frames so that the repair can take place without removing the part from where it has been installed.
Plein air oil painting of abandoned derelict 'Darling Island Bond and Free' warehouse, Pyrmont st Pyrmont by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
"Darling Island Bond and Free"
2012 oil on canvas 61 x 51cm
Sold
Enquiries

A thermite weld is spectacular.
Molten metal drops into the mould in a blinding flash.
The still glowing edges are trimmed still glowing and then polished until you can't see the join with the steel rail on either side.
It is a very traditional work process, first patented in the 1890s, but it would still have been the last word in modern technology when 12 Pyrmont Street was first built.
Plein air oil painting of abandoned derelict 'Darling Island Bond and Free' warehouse, Pyrmont st Pyrmont by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
Painting 12 Pyrmont st,
from Jones Bay Road 27-12-2012
Enquiries
Rail under stress can easily buckle.
Thermite can be used for quickly cutting or welding steel such as rail tracks, without requiring complex or heavy equipment.
However, thermite welding must be done carefully as defects are often present in such welded junctions.
Also the rails must remain straight, without dipped joints, which can cause wear on high speed and heavy axle load lines.

Plein air oil painting of abandoned derelict 'Darling Island Bond and Free' warehouse, Pyrmont st Pyrmont by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
P271 'Darling Island Bond and Free,
12 Pyrmont street' 2013
oil on canvas 46 x 46cm
Available

Thermite is not technically classed as an explosive, however anyone who's watched a certain early episode of 'Breaking Bad' will appreciate its force and effectiveness!
Back in those days living next door to a Bond store full of thermite would definitely have qualified as living "on the wrong side of the tracks".
Plein air oil painting of abandoned derelict 'Darling Island Bond and Free' warehouse, Pyrmont st Pyrmont by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
Painting 12 Pyrmont st,
from Jones Bay Road 27-12-2012

I'm not sure when the "Australian Thermite Company" building became the "Darling Island Bond and Free".
It must have been at least a couple of decades after its construction, as I have seen some unfortunately undated photos which must have been taken after 1916, but before 1948, as they show the empty yard to the east of the original 1904 Power Station building before the second power station was completed in 1951.
The faded letters "Darling Island Bond and Free" can still be just made out on the south and east side of the building.
Plein air oil painting of abandoned derelict 'Darling Island Bond and Free' warehouse, Pyrmont st Pyrmont by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
Painting 12 Pyrmont st,
from Jones Bay Road 27-12-2012

I'd like to thank the people who took photos of me while I was painting and sent them to me. Unfortunately their emails bounced and they used nicknames so I don't know how to personally credit them, but I'm grateful as I was far too hot and tired to cross the street to take photos.
I'd also like to thank the occupants of number 14 Pyrmont Street for reviving me with kindness and their excellent coffee while I was painting on an extremely hot day.
I displayed this painting in the Xmas exhibition at the Frances Keevil Gallery
The opening was on Saturday 1st December 2012, from 5-7pm.
The exhibition continued until 31st December 2012
FRANCES KEEVIL GALLERY,
Bay Village, 28-34 Cross Street Double Bay, NSW 2028
Hours M-F 10am-5pm Sat 10 - 4pm Sun 11-4pm
ph/fax: 02 93272475 mob: 0411 821550
info@franceskeevilgallery.com.au
Page of Jane Bennett paintings

For more information see My Pyrmont page in this blog


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