View an article about "Trains, Cranes and Ships" 2007 my solo exhibition at the National Trust Headquarters
These paintings are about the end of an era - the transformation of neglected industrial heritage in Sydney.
Wharfies
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| DH69 Lifting container 'Oceania Chief' 2 |
2006 oil on canvas 25 x 20cm
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The container, attached to a yellow 'spreader' has been lifted by one of the 3 red cranes and the wharfies are about to position it on one of the black-hulled 'Chief' ships.
Break Bulk
Very few container ships were docked at Darling Harbour - during the last 5 years most went to Botany, which is container or "boxes" only.
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DH67 'Oceania Chief' with forklift' |
2005 oil on canvas 31x23cm
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Port Kembla is now where most "break bulk" is unloaded, although Blackwattle Bay and to an increasingly lesser extent Glebe Island and White Bay still handle salt, cement and gypsum.
Port Kembla is now where most "break bulk" is unloaded, although Blackwattle Bay and to an increasingly lesser extent Glebe Island and White Bay still handle salt, cement and gypsum.
"Break bulk" is a term used for products which can't be transported in containers. It includes a wide mix of articles- from salt, gypsum, cement to timber, steel coils and heavy machinery as well as cars, trucks and boats.
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'The' Poolgracht 'with excavator' 2007
Enquiries about this paintingoil painting on canvas 51 x 41cm |
The Gracht ship often carried a rather incongruous payload. As well as a selection of excavators, mining or agricultural machinery and the ubiquitous rolls of steel coils which would lie for weeks inside the sheds; they would also carry luxurious 'hot-water' boats. Most of these were larger than my house, and probably cost more than the entire street I live in.
Some of these were so enormous that they looked almost capable of carrying the ship that brought them.
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"The Tamerlane in the rain" 2005 oil on canvas 75 x 100 cm Enquiries about this painting |
The "Wilhelmsen" (originally Norwegian) ships were red and all their names began with the letter "T" eg "Toba", "Tortugas","Trianon" and of course the notorious "Tampa".
The "Wallenius" ships (originally Swedish) ships were dark green and named after Italian operas eg. "Tosca" "Madame Butterfly" "Don Giovanni" etc.
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"The 'Madame Butterfly'
Enquiries about this paintingoil painting on canvas 75 x 100cm |
An example of one of the green Wallenius ships, with an Italian opera for its name. I found it quite comic to hear the wharfies say "Madame Butterfly's running a bit late today..."
They weren't a bit happy when I painted in all the rust.
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| "The 'Southern Cross' (with Robbie and forklift)" 2007 oil on canvas 31 x 92cm PRIVATE COLLECTION : SYDNEY SOLD Enquiries about similar paintings |
The hatches are being opened.
I found the slow folding and unfolding of these to be hypnotic, and after a few frustrating failed attempts to paint this I finally succeeded. After a few years familiarizing myself with the quirks of the ships and cranes, I finally became able to roughly predict the sequence of events from the arrival to the departure of a ship. I managed to be in the right place at the right time to see the most interesting aspects and fast and accurate enough to capture them on canvas.
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| DH87 Patrick's panorama. 2006 |
oil on canvas 31 x 103cm
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The East Darling Harbour Wharves during their last 5 operational years, used to handle the whole spectrum of these items, so they were especially fascinating wharves to paint on as I'd never know what to expect; from steel coils from the "Gracht" ships to cars whizzing past me like outtakes from "The Italian Job" from the gigantic vermilion Wallenius Wilhelmsen Ro-ros ("roll-on, roll off"- Some of the wharfies who fancied themselves as comedians would call the Ro-ros "Roll-on, roll-overs" after one unfortunate ship accidentally opened its ramp while at sea and headbutted another ship)
A view from the Bridge
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| 'Miller's point from the Bridge of the 'Talabot' Diptych' 2006 oil on canvas 31 x 61cm each Total image 31 x 122 cm SOLD Enquiries about similar paintings |
Shed 3, the former home of the Customs Division, is to the far left. Shed 4, former home of P&O, is the shed directly beneath me in the centre . Shed 5, to the extreme right, was the former home of Patrick Stevedoring and Patrick Defence Logistics, and my usual headquarters.
During the last 18 months of port operations, I was allocated the old Port Captain's office as a place to keep my ever-increasing stockpile of paintings.
The end of an Era
The wharf has now closed forever and Sydney’s traditional role as a working harbour will soon be over as this was followed by the end of most marine operations at Glebe Island, after the departure of the ex-HMAS Adelaide.
For Sydney Harbour no longer to be a working port and to be stripped of its original character and purpose, is almost unthinkable.
The wharf has now closed forever and Sydney’s traditional role as a working harbour will soon be over as this was followed by the end of most marine operations at Glebe Island, after the departure of the ex-HMAS Adelaide.
For Sydney Harbour no longer to be a working port and to be stripped of its original character and purpose, is almost unthinkable.
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| 'The last call of the 'Tampa' docking at Wharf 5, East Darling Harbour' 2007 oil on canvas 31 x 103 cm Enquiries about this painting |
In June 2010 another cargo ship, the 'Maersk Gateshead' docked for a week at the site of the former Wharf 5, but it was stranded there after engine failure and no containers were loaded or unloaded.
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| DH247 'The last ship on the wharf 'Southern Moana' 2007 oil on canvas 28 x 36cm Enquiries about this painting |
The last operational cargo ship to berth at Darling Harbour, the ‘Southern Moana’, arrived and left on the 28th September 2007 in a blaze of publicity. During the wharf's last few weeks as a working port, I watched the dismantling of all cargo-loading infrastructure as the 3 shore cranes have been driven onto a massive barge and sailed under the Sydney Harbour Bridge bound for Port Kembla.
Moore's Wharf
Moore’s Wharf on Walsh Bay at Millers Point was established in the 1830 by Henry Moore, the first Australian P & O agent. The sandstone warehouse designed by William Long was built by convict labour with stone quarried on site. Moore bought the wharf and accompanying building from Long in 1837. It was originally located 100 metres to the west but in 1978 was moved, stone by stone, to its present location when it became the Operational Headquarters of the Sydney Ports Corporation.
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| DH203 Moore's Wharf, Sydney Harbour Bridge & Walsh Bay Wharves' 2007 oil on canvas 25 x 51cm |
The precedent has been set - if it has been moved once, it could be moved again. There are no guarantees that this handsome heritage sandstone building will have any place in the new precinct of Barangaroo, especially as the architects and designers concerned with the project seem hell-bent on removing all vestiges of maritime heritage and history from the whole area.
The 'Forum Samoa' with tugs from the
top of the Harbour Control Tower
2007 gouache on paper 75 x 100 cm
Available
top of the Harbour Control Tower
2007 gouache on paper 75 x 100 cm
Available
Jeffrey Smart, eat your heart out!
I contrast paintings of the area as a working port with the bustling activity of trucks, forklifts, cranes and ships with paintings of the eerie emptiness of the same place just a few weeks later. The red containers, trucks,cranes and witches hats echo the surrealist elements of the paintings of Jeffrey Smart - but the difference is that all the subject matter of my paintings was actually there in front of me, not formally arranged at leisure in the privacy of a pristine white studio.
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"The yard from the port captain's office" 2007 oil painting on canvas 100 x 122 cm Enquiries about this painting
This is Barangaroo as it used to be as a working port. Compare this painting with the empty wharf painting that follows. Jeffrey Smart, eat your heart out! |
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| "The empty wharf" 2007 oil painting on canvas 100 x 122cm Enquiries about this painting |
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| 'The empty wharf' oil on canvas 25 x 51 cm 2009 PRIVATE COLLECTION : SYDNEY SOLD Enquiries about similar paintings See my Page of Millers Point Paintings |
The 'Dead House'
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| DH156A Relics from the ' Dead House- Hook and gloves 2007 oil on canvas 61 x 61cm Enquiries about this painting |
The Sydney Harbour Control Tower
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| The Hungry Mile from the Harbour Control Tower 2008 gouache on paper 95 x 126cm Enquiries about this painting |
Cruise ships continued to dock at Darling Harbour Wharf 5 until the "Doulos" (formerly the "Roma") in mid 2008.
'The Doulos-last cruise ship at DH5'
2008 oil on canvas 25 x 51cm
PRIVATE COLLECTION : SYDNEY
SOLD
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After the "Doulos", cruise ships docked at Wharf 8 until its demolition in June 2010, when a new temporary cruise ship facility was hastily erected at Wharf 5.
'The Doulos-last cruise ship at DH5'
2008 oil on canvas 25 x 51cm
PRIVATE COLLECTION : SYDNEY
SOLD
Enquiries about similar paintings
After the "Doulos", cruise ships docked at Wharf 8 until its demolition in June 2010, when a new temporary cruise ship facility was hastily erected at Wharf 5.
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| 'The empty wharf from shed 6' 2008 oil on canvas 31 x 61cm Enquiries about this painting |
Demolition
The former wharf buildings were demolished by Cardinal Services in 2 stages, spurred on by the timetable of World Youth Day.
Cardinal set up its headquarters in the old amenities block opposite the former maintenance depot that was in Shed 6 at the southern end of the Wharf.
They started demolition of Shed 6 to the south in January 2008 and worked their way northwards through sheds 5 and 4, finishing with Shed 3 and the gatehouse opposite Moore's Wharf at the northern end by May.
The next round of demolition began in August 2010 with the demolition of the cruise ship terminal Wharf 8 and the former Sydney Ports Corporation Maintenance Depot at the southernmost end of the Wharf.
World Youth Day
They started demolition of Shed 6 to the south in January 2008 and worked their way northwards through sheds 5 and 4, finishing with Shed 3 and the gatehouse opposite Moore's Wharf at the northern end by May.
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Enquiries about this painting |
The next round of demolition began in August 2010 with the demolition of the cruise ship terminal Wharf 8 and the former Sydney Ports Corporation Maintenance Depot at the southernmost end of the Wharf.
World Youth Day
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| 'World Youth Day 2008 preparations' oil painting on canvas 60 x 50 cm Enquiries about this painting |
The now empty site used for public non-maritime events such as the "World Youth Day" 2008.
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| BAR48 'A white ship with Black Hawks - 'Pacific Jewel at East Darling Harbour Wharves' 2010 oil painting on canvas 31 x 103cm Enquiries about this painting |
The cruise ship buildings at Wharf 8 were last used by the 'Pacific Jewel' in June 2010, also coincidentally the first cruise ship to use the new temporary facilities at Barangaroo.
All the wharf buildings have now been demolished by Bovis LendLease. The entire site will now be developed by Lendlease for the Barangaroo Delivery Authority.
Enquiries about this painting
A temporary cruise ship facility was built on the site of Wharf 5 at Darling Harbour in 2010 and operated for 2 years.The cruise ships have now moved to White Bay despite the misgivings of the shipping industry.
Two centuries of maritime history have come to an end.
The End of the Wharf as we know it
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| DH186 The Scholarship & Sydney Harbour Bridge 2007 oil on canvas 31 x 92cm |
Enquiries about this painting
A temporary cruise ship facility was built on the site of Wharf 5 at Darling Harbour in 2010 and operated for 2 years.The cruise ships have now moved to White Bay despite the misgivings of the shipping industry.
Two centuries of maritime history have come to an end.
The End of the Wharf as we know it
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"MAY OPEN WITHOUT WARNING !
(Inside the loading dock of the former Cruise ship Terminal at Darling Harbour 8)" 2010
oil painting on canvas 56 x 76cm
Enquiries about this painting |
Poignant reminders of the site's previous function create ironic, even surrealist undertones.
This building was demolished in late August 2010.
It was only opened in 1999.
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'MAY CLOSE WITHOUT WARNING!' (Inside the loading dock of the former Cruise ship Terminal at Darling Harbour 8)" 2010 oil painting on canvas 56 x 76cm Enquiries about this painting |
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| BAR3 'I saw the number 8 in red...' 2010 oil on canvas 51 x 76 cm Related posts from my blogs Painting Miller's Point from the top of Harbour Control Tower New Year's Eve 2010- Part 3 : Panorama Painting the International Fleet Review at Barangaroo Something old-Something New- Some paintings at Barangaroo Storm warning, Goat Island From the Hungry Mile to Barangaroo' Why the hullaballoo about Barangaroo? Barangaroo - Where Art, Architecture, History, Politics and Economics meet |
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