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 terminal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label terminal. Show all posts

Wednesday 16 November 2011

The White Shed at White Bay



Demolition of the White Bay Transit shed will soon commence.
Cardinal, who demolished the wharf buildings at East Darling Harbour, have set up in the old canteen at the western end of the shed.
I started this canvas on Tuesday 8th November.
plein air oil painting of the White Bay Transit Shed, White Bay Wharf by industrial and maritime heritage artist Jane Bennett
White Bay Transit Shed, from Berth 6, White Bay'
2011 oil on canvas 61 x 91cm.



















I've been told that the gantries on either side of the shed have been heritage listed, but I don't know if they will be retained. White Bay has been confirmed as the site of the new cruise ship terminal.
Sydney Ports Corporation owns and manages White Bay Berths 1-6. The berths are leased to licensees who operate independent businesses including:
Private Harbour Cruises, Road Construction, Harbour Construction and Vessel Maintenance.

plein air oil painting of the White Bay Transit Shed, White Bay Wharf by industrial and maritime heritage artist Jane Bennett
Starting to paint the sky of a canvas of the
soon to be demolished
'White Bay Transit Shed, from Berth 6, White Bay'
2011 oil on canvas 61 x 91cm





















I've been allowed to paint the shed from the most eastern point, Berth 6, leased from Sydney Ports Corporation by Bailey's Marine Fuels.
Berth 5 is leased by the PB tug "Endeavour", a small and extremely cute pale blue tug with a black hull, only just over a year old.
plein air oil painting of the White Bay Transit Shed, White Bay Wharf by industrial and maritime heritage artist Jane Bennett
My half finished canvas 'White Bay Transit Shed,
from Berth 6, White Bay' 2011 oil on canvas 61 x 91cm.


















At Berth 4, is the scary looking "Sea Shepherd", bane of the Japanese whaling fleet. They will depart for Antarctica on Friday 18th November, so if I am to paint them I need to work fast.
plein air oil painting of the White Bay Transit Shed, White Bay Wharf by industrial and maritime heritage artist Jane Bennett
'White Bay Transit Shed, from Berth 6, White Bay'
 2011 oil on canvas 61 x 91cm.


















Berth 3 houses Waterway Constructions. They are now the proud owners of the largest crane I have seen since Titan sank.
plein air oil painting of the White Bay Transit Shed, White Bay Wharf by industrial and maritime heritage artist Jane Bennett
'White Bay Transit Shed, from Berth 6, White Bay'
2011 oil on canvas 61 x 91cm.


















Berth 2 has a motley collection of barges and a yellowish tug that looks just as battered as my station wagon. To the west are the Ausbarge tugs, the Morpeth and Coramba. Their funnels have been given a fresh coat of bright blue, since I last painted them.
Berth 1 is home to the tall ship, the 'Southern Swan', formerly known as the 'Svanen'.
plein air oil painting of the White Bay Transit Shed, White Bay Wharf by industrial and maritime heritage artist Jane Bennett
'White Bay Transit Shed, from Berth 6, White Bay'
2011 oil on canvas 61 x 91cm.





















 
The sullen clouds overhead developed into a violent storm, known as a "southerly buster".
The day after, Baileys started to construct an awning between the two blue containers, to provide shelter for their workmen.Later that afternoon an impressive southerly buster blew up, as you can see by the ominous stormclouds above the shed in both the painting and the photo.




plein air oil painting of the White Bay Transit Shed, White Bay Wharf by industrial and maritime heritage artist Jane Bennett
'White Bay Transit Shed, from Berth 6, White Bay'
2011 oil on canvas 36 x 46cm.
The next day, Wednesday 9th November, I had to make an early start, as I had a very important appointment to keep.
In late 2009, I had been approached by some people from St Vincents Hospital to paint a block of heritage terraces soon to be redeveloped for the new Kollings Cancer Institute. Just when I had thought everyone had forgotten about this, St Vincents Hospital notified me that they had booked me to have a major solo exhibition of these paintings from 4th February - 8th March 2012.
Wednesday would be my opportunity to meet and discuss the exhibition before the organizers took their Christmas break.I arrived by 7am, unpacked and started this small canvas by 7.30am.
plein air oil painting of the White Bay Transit Shed, White Bay Wharf by industrial and maritime heritage artist Jane Bennett
White Bay Transit Shed, from Berth 6, White Bay'
2011 oil on canvas 36 x 46cm.


















However, to arrive at my meeting and still manage to look halfway human for the meeting at 1pm I had to stop painting by 11am and scrub myself clean.
The weather looked a bit dodgy, so the people from Bailey's kindly allowed me to store my half finished canvases in one of the toilet blocks in case it rained while I was away.
As I was going to take my collection of paintings of the Victoria terraces in to see how they would look in the exhibition space at Xavier level 3, I wouldn't be able to pack my wet canvases and easel on top of these earlier works without risking disaster.
plein air oil painting of the White Bay Transit Shed, White Bay Wharf by industrial and maritime heritage artist Jane Bennett
Painting the White Bay Transit Shed, from Berth 6, White Bay.

plein air oil painting of the White Bay Transit Shed, White Bay Wharf by industrial and maritime heritage artist Jane Bennett
White Bay Transit Shed, from Berth 6, White Bay'
2011 oil on canvas 61 x 91cm.
The meeting was a great success, and I'm very excited about the forthcoming exhibition at St Vincents, even though my last exhibition at the Frances Keevil Gallery has only just ended.
I'll barely have time to catch my breath between projects. 
plein air oil painting of the White Bay Transit Shed, White Bay Wharf by industrial and maritime heritage artist Jane Bennett
White Bay Transit Shed, from Berth 6, White Bay'
2011 oil on canvas 61 x 91cm.


















The tanks and containers are reflected in the pools of water left over from Tuesday's violent storm.
 
Related posts

 
 

Monday 3 October 2011

"May close without warning" My Solo Exhibition at the Frances Keevil Gallery

A Sneak preview of some of the paintings
in my new solo exhibition
11 - 30 OCTOBER 2011
To be opened by Dr Jack Mundey AO
Tuesday 11 October, 6 - 8pm
Bay Village, 28 - 34 Cross Street Double Bay NSW 2028
ph: 02 9327 2475
Gallery hours: Mon to Fri: 10-5 Sat: 10-4 Sun: 11-4

My new exhibition at the
Frances Keevil Gallery, is about the transience of the built environment. Many of the paintings were inspired by the now demolished Cruise Ship Terminal at the South end of Barangaroo.
plein air charcoal drawing of demolition of East Darling Harbour Wharves  by industrial heritage and marine artist Jane Bennett
"Wharf Skeleton" 2008 charcoal on paper 76 x 110cm
WINNER: 2008 DRAWING PRIZE ROYAL EASTER SHOW
Enquiries about this painting


plein air mixed media painting of Millers Point and Walsh Bay Wharves from Harbour Control Tower by industrial heritage and marine artist Jane Bennett
"Miller's Point from the top of the Sydney Harbour Control Tower"
charcoal, ink, gouache on paper 121 x 134cm
SOLD
Enquiries about this painting

A large, complex and vertigo inducing drawing, "Miller's Point from the top of the Sydney Harbour Control Tower", tested my draughtsmanship and perspective skills to the utmost.
plein air oil painting of interior of now demolished cruise ship terminal Wharf 8 at Barangaroo by industrial heritage and marine artist Jane Bennett
'"May open without warning"'
2010 oil on canvas 51 x 76 cm
Enquiries about this painting

"May open without warning" is the cryptic inscription on the floor of the entrance to the loading dock and is the first painting in this series.
plein air oil painting of interior of now demolished cruise ship terminal Wharf 8 at Barangaroo by industrial heritage and marine artist Jane Bennett
"May Close Without Warning",
Wharf 8, Barangaroo
oil on canvas 51 x 76cm
Enquiries about this painting

















"May close without warning" , the second painting in this series, painted from deeper inside the building, derives its title from the warning signs on the fire doors inside Wharf 8. The empty chair was a haunting symbol of the loss of power and authority as the surrounding area is in a state of flux.
plein air oil painting of interior of now demolished cruise ship terminal Wharf 8 at Barangaroo by industrial heritage and marine artist Jane Bennett
"I saw the number "8" in red" oil on canvas 61 x 183cm
Enquiries about other paintings of Barangaroo
SOLD







 



"I saw the number "8" in red" was painted in the Arrivals Hall. Apart from commemorating the startlingly weird giant number "8", the title of this painting is also my homage to the 1928 Charles Demuth painting "I saw the number 5 in gold..", an icon of American Modernism.
plein air oil painting of interior of now demolished cruise ship terminal Wharf 8 at Barangaroo by industrial heritage and marine artist Jane Bennett
"Your days are numbered" 2010
oil painting on canvas 61 x 91cm
Enquiries about other paintings of Barangaroo
SOLD

"Your days are numbered" shows the Arrivals Hall from a different angle.
plein air oil painting of interior of now demolished cruise ship terminal Wharf 8 at Barangaroo by industrial heritage and marine artist Jane Bennett
'Red Square' oil on canvas 36 x 36cm
SOLD
Enquiries about similar paintings


plein air oil painting of interior of now demolished cruise ship terminal Wharf 8 at Barangaroo by industrial heritage and marine artist Jane Bennett
'Red Square (Strange Customs)'
oil on canvas 61 x 183cm
Enquiries about this painting

'Red Square' shows the eerily empty Departures Hall with the strange bright red box at the end of the Hall, which marked where the passengers would leave the hall for the gantry. The large canvas was intended as the counterpart to "I saw the number "8" in red", which is the same size and format.
plein air oil painting of  now demolished cruise ship terminal Wharf 8 at Barangaroo by industrial heritage and marine artist Jane Bennett
"Your days are numbered - Eight (ate)"
2010 oil painting on canvas 31 x 25 cm
SOLD
Enquiries about similar paintings


"Your days are numbered - Eight (ate)" was painted after the demolition of the main building of Wharf 8.
The lonely numeral remained as a vestige of the former wharf for a few weeks afterwards.
plein air oil painting of  now demolished East Darling Harbour Wharves - now Barangaroo by industrial heritage and marine artist Jane Bennett
"The 'Hungry Mile' " 2007 oil on canvas 91 x 122cm
Enquiries about this painting


"The 'Hungry Mile' ", "The empty wharf" and the "Gathering Storm" are three large canvases of the same size and format painted from a similar vantage point, several years apart to show the contrast between past and present. They are like a time lapse sequence showing the transition of the 'Hungry Mile' from a working port into the construction site of Barangaroo.
"The 'Hungry Mile' ", the first of the series, is the working port in its last operational year, 2007.
plein air oil painting of  now demolished East Darling Harbour Wharves - now Barangaroo by industrial heritage and marine artist Jane Bennett
"The empty wharf" 2008
oil on canvas 91 x 122cm
Enquiries about this painting

"The empty wharf" I started painted this work the day after the stevedores left in mid October 2007 and completed it just before Cardinal began to demolish the wharf buildings at the start of 2008.

plein air oil painting of  now demolished East Darling Harbour Wharves - now Barangaroo by industrial heritage and marine artist Jane Bennett
 














"The Gathering Storm" -
my unfinished plein air painting at Barangaroo,
91 x 122cm
Enquiries about this painting

I don't normally like showing half finished work, but I couldn't resist this. "The Gathering Storm" looks as though a piece of the sky has actually fallen down onto the waiting canvas.
plein air oil painting of  now demolished East Darling Harbour Wharves - now Barangaroo by industrial heritage and marine artist Jane Bennett
"The Gathering Storm over Barangaroo"
2011 oil on canvas 91 x 122cm
Enquiries about this painting

I am primarily a plein air painter, and I want to rescue this genre from being relegated to the category of the "Sunday" painter.
To paint a series of large, ambitious and complex canvases "en plein air" on demolition sites and operational wharves, usually in a howling gale, could be classed as an extreme sport.
It needs physical strength, determination and a touch of insanity as well.

All of these paintings, and more will be available for sale
at the Frances Keevil Gallery from Tuesday 11th October 2011.
Enquiries info@franceskeevilgallery.com.au

Related Posts

Thursday 25 November 2010

My Paintings at the Sydney Open : Part 1

My exhibition: "From the Hungry Mile to Barangaroo"
Foyer of LendLease 30,'The Bond',
30 Hickson Road, Millers Point
Exhibition of  plein air oil paintings of Barangaroo at the 2010 Sydney Open by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
Paintings of Barangaroo at Sydney Open - 30, The Bond
From left to right:
top : 'Relics from the Dead House 2' 2007 oil on canvas 91 x 61 cm
bottom left: "Hungry Dinosaurs" 2010 oil on canvas 36 x 46 cm
bottom right: "Grabber, Muncher,Ripper" 2010 oil on canvas 31 x 31cm
top: "I saw the number '8' in red" 2010 oil on canvas 61 x 183cm SOLD
centre: :"Red Square (Arrivals Hall) 2010 oil on canvas 61 x 183cm
bottom left: "The drill rig" 2010 oil on canvas 36 x 36cm
bottom right: "Red Square" 2010 oil on canvas 36 x 36cm
top left:"8 (ate)" 2010 oil on canvas 41 x 31cm SOLD
top right: "Dig it! (The archaeologists)"2010 oil on canvas 31 x 15cm SOLD
centre: "Storm warning, Barangaroo" 2010 oil on canvas 91 x 122cm SOLD
bottom left: "The last gantry" 2010 oil on canvas 41 x 31cm SOLD
bottom right: "Pump it! (The 'Watertank')" 2010 oil on canvas 31 x 41cm
Enquiries about these and other paintings

Exhibition of  plein air oil paintings of Barangaroo at the 2010 Sydney Open by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
top :"2 cranes" 2006 oil on canvas 41 x 51cm
below: "Boat Lift" 2007 oil on canvas 100 x 122cm
top left: "The tug "Karoo"" 2008 oil on canvas 20 x 25cm
top right: :"The tug "Woona" 2008 oil on canvas 20 x 25cm
below: "The 'Tamerlane' after rain" 2005 oil on canvas 75 x 100cm
Enquiries about these and other paintings

A small selection of my paintings of the East Darling Harbour Wharves and their transformation into the Barangaroo precinct were exhibited for one day only on Sunday 7th November 2010, in the foyer of the LendLease Headquarters in '30, The Bond' directly opposite the Barangaroo site itself.
On the same day a selection of my Pyrmont paintings were also exhibited in the foyer of 'Workplace6', headquarters of Google, and 2 of Paul Signorelli's new restaurants, 'Biaggio' and 'Gastronomia'.
In these photos, my paintings of Barangaroo are displayed in front of the spectacular escarpment wall of yellowblock sandstone, catching the dying embers of the afternoon sun.
I borrowed the "A" frame easels from John Sweaney of ASMA (The Australian Society of Marine Artists) and put my entire black ankle sock collection on their feet to prevent the floor being scratched!
This exhibition consisted of a total of 24 paintings crammed onto 8 easels. The larger canvases perched on the crossbars and the smaller ones tied to the top and bottom legs by cable ties. Not an ideal situation, aesthetically, but not bad under the circumstances.
Plein air oil painting and photo of the artist Jane Bennett on the Barangaroo construction site in 2010
Painting plein air on the
Barangaroo construction site 
"Storm warning, Barangaroo" 2010
oil on canvas 91 x 122cm SOLD




















Until a few days beforehand, I didn't even know if I'd be able to show my work at all.
The question of how to display paintings and what to display them on became the problem. Finally how to transport easels and paintings to 2 locations; one in Pyrmont, one in the CBD. Canvases and paintings could not be taken in the same car at the same time, or there was a good chance of piercing the canvases with an easel leg. Both '30, The Bond' and 'Workplace6' have majestic interiors with high ceilings and the paintings could be overwhelmed. Fortunately I received a great deal of help from the people at the Historic Houses Trust and my dealer Frances Keevil. They all arrived early on the Sunday and mastered the arcane mysteries of hanging paintings with cable ties in record time.

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

Thursday 23 September 2010

Art exhibition : Recent Paintings of Barangaroo by Jane Bennett

From Barangaroo to Double Bay :
Paintings Now on Display at the Frances Keevil Gallery until 8th October 2010

plein air oil painting of  demolished cruise ship terminal Wharf 8 at  Barangaroo by Artist Jane Bennett
"I saw the number '8' in red... "2010  
oil painting on canvas  51 x 76cm
  Sold
Enquiries about similar paintings
janecooperbennett@gmail.com

plein air oil painting of  demolished cruise ship terminal Wharf 8 at  Barangaroo by Artist Jane Bennett
"Out of time " oil painting on canvas 31 x 31 cm
Enquiries about this painting
plein air oil painting of  demolished cruise ship terminal Wharf 8 at  Barangaroo by Artist Jane Bennett
"May Open without warning" 
(Inside the loading dock of the former Cruise ship Terminal at Darling Harbour 8)
2010  oil painting on canvas 51 x 76cm
Enquiries about this painting
janecooperbennett@gmail.com
Painted from a similar viewpoint as "May close without warning..."
plein air oil painting of  demolished cruise ship terminal Wharf 8 at  Barangaroo by Artist Jane Bennett
"MAY CLOSE WITHOUT WARNING (Inside the loading dock of the former Cruise ship Terminal at Darling Harbour 8)"
oil painting on canvas 51 x 76cm
  Enquiries about this painting
janecooperbennett@gmail.com
plein air oil painting of 'Maersk Gateshead' at temporary cruise ship facility Barangaroo by Artist Jane Bennett
"Night, 'Pacific Jewel'  from the
bridge of the Maersk Gateshead" 2010 
oil painting on canvas 61 x 91 cm
Enquiries about this painting
plein air oil painting of 'Pacific Jewel ' at temporary cruise ship facility Barangaroo by Artist Jane Bennett
"The Pacific Jewel arrives for the first time 
at the new temporary facilities at Barangaroo" 2010 
oil painting on canvas 
36 x 46 cm
Enquiries about this painting
janecooperbennett@gmail.com








plein air oil painting of 'Pacific Jewel ' at temporary cruise ship facility Barangaroo by Artist Jane Bennett


































"The Pacific Jewel arrives for the first time
at the new temporary facilities at Barangaroo"
Diptych Left hand canvas 2010
oil painting on canvas 25 x 51 cm each
Total image size 25 x 102cm
Enquiries about this painting
janecooperbennett@gmail.com

plein air oil painting of 'Pacific Jewel ' at temporary cruise ship facility Barangaroo by Artist Jane Bennett











"The Pacific Jewel arrives for the first time 
at the new temporary facilities at Barangaroo"
Diptych: 2010 oil on canvas 25 x 51 cm each 
Total image size 25 x 102cm
 Enquiries about this painting