Revenant

Starting painting of'703 HFA' 2017
oil on canvas 122 x 91cm

Available 

Revenant : an animated ghost or zombie believed to have revived to haunt the living.
Derived from the Latin word reveniens, "returning" 
The 703 HFA has been languishing up on stumps awaiting a restoration to past glory that will probably never happen.
This heritage wooden carriage was severely damaged in a tragic accident at Cowan on 6th May 1990, and has been sitting forlornly at the eastern end of the Large Erecting Shop in the Eveleigh Railway Workshops ever since. 

Starting painting of'703 HFA' 2017

oil on canvas 122 x 91cm

Available

When the steam locomotive 3801 was returning from the Morpeth Jazz Festival, it  struggled to climb the steep Cowan Bank, then stopped.

To assist gripping, sand was then applied to the track, but unfortunately this caused the signals to malfunction.

The signals apparently changed from red to green several times. After the signals had been green for a few moments, giving a false indication that the track was clear ahead, a CityRail Interurban passenger service entered the tunnel behind 3801 and crashed into the back of 3801's train. 
6 people lost their lives, including the driver of the intercity electric, and a passenger in the V Set's cab. An investigation into the crash suggested the handbrake in one of the carriages may also have been applied. 

'703 HFA' 2017 oil on canvas 122 x 91cm

Available

There have been sporadic episodes of restoration over the past 27 years, which were curtailed due to lack of funds, manpower or commitment. 
A restored carriage would be a symbolic triumph over the past tragedy, but this would be a difficult and expensive task.

The dented frame of the carriage has severe structural problems and the wheels in front of the carriage have ‘sharp flanges’ - extremely worn edges which are the railway equivalent of a car having bald tyres. 
The 703HFA continues to haunt the shed, more a revenant than a phoenix.

The transformation of the Large Erecting Shop into a running shed means that it has an uncertain future. 
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38's are great, mate

This is the big brother of the small square painting that I created in "Ghost Train"

I liked the small painting so much that I decided to paint a much larger canvas that would really evoke the atmosphere of the interior of the Large Erecting Shop in pin sharp detail. All the apparent chaos and clutter of a true workshop in all its glory!

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. It has a couple of old signs on its roof "Engine Shop" and "The Professionals", which I was told had been pinched from a local real estate agent!

It's ironic in more ways than one, because, whilst experts in their field, the people working on the restoration of 3830 were mostly volunteers.

In front of it are lathes, drills and boxes of rusting tools that obviously are many decades old.

The 3830 was put back together with the help 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.

E129 '38s are great mate'
2017 oil on canvas 91 x 122cm
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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"

I've read worse poetry!

The scarred and half rotten boards also bear the postscript  "38's are great mate" written on them.

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This is how the light gets in

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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.

'Release' 2017 oil on canvas 41 x 31cm

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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.

'Release' 2017 oil on canvas 41 x 31cm
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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”.

'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.

More paintings of the Eveleigh Railway Workshops

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This is how the light gets in

Ghost in the machine

Painting in the paint shop - The Green Room

The slow return from the fire

The fire within