A Tall Ship and a Lightship

The CLS 4 Carpentaria, unmanned lightship

Starting a new canvas of the lightship 'Carpentaria'

with the James Craig behind it.

In the background is Barangaroo.

'The lightship 'Carpentaria' with the James Craig '

2010-11 oil painting on canvas 61 x 76cm

Enquiries about this painting
A lightship is a ship acting as a floating lighthouse to aid navigation and warn ships of hazards. Lightships anchor in waters that are too deep or dangerous for a permanent lighthouse to be built.
Commonwealth Lightship 4, 'Carpentaria', was one of four unmanned lightships built at Cockatoo Island Dockyard, Sydney, in 1916-17. After a close encounter with a container ship
in Bass Strait nearly scuttled her, the 'Carpentaria' finally retired in 1985.
Originally she had an automatic acetylene light mounted on its tall mast, with a sunlight-operated valve to switch it on and off.
The Carpentaria barely seems to need any additional light to make her visible to navigators as she has been painted an eye-ball burning bright red and has its name inscribed in huge letters on the side. She is difficult to miss against the bland white waterfront of Darling Harbour.
While I was Artist in Residence at Cockatoo Island (for the 2nd time from 2005 until 2007 when the island was being prepared for opening to the public, The 1st time was during the 1980s while the island was still an operational shipyard) I noticed the Carpentaria docked on the southern slipway adjoining Fitzroy dock for several months.
I had high hopes then that Cockatoo Island would be returned to its original purpose of a working shipyard, but no such luck.

'The lightship 'Carpentaria' with the James Craig ' 2010-11
oil painting on canvas 61 x 76cm
Enquiries about this painting
The Tall Ship 'James Craig'
Behind the scenestealing lightship dominating the foreground is the square-rigger, the James Craig. She is a three-masted, iron-hulled barque currently berthed at Wharf 7 of Darling Harbour, near the Australian National Maritime Museum.
One of only 4 operational ships of her era and rig , she is a true link to the heroic age of the seafaring past. In 1972 volunteers from the Sydney Heritage Fleet refloated her and towed her to Hobart for initial repairs. She was then towed back to Sydney, and after an epic program of restoration and repairs, was finally able to set sail by 2001.
The 'James Craig' is open to the public, and is crewed and maintained by my good mates from the Sydney Heritage Fleet.
"Salt in the Air"
I am one of 10 women artists from the Australian Society of Marine Artists who have been Artists in Residence at the Sydney Heritage Fleet.
We'll hold an exhibition "Salt in the Air" aboard the James Craig to help provide funds to restore the vessels of the fleet.
This is one of the 17 paintings I'll exhibit.
The exhibition will be opened by Tanya Plibersek MP at 2pm on Saturday 27th April on board the James Craig. It is open daily 10am - 4pm from Saturday 27th April - Sunday 4th May 2013

Exhibition SALT IN THE AIR  Saturday 27th April-Sunday 4th May 2013 (asma-artistinresidence.blogspot.com)

Related posts

Pyrmont : Shadows of the past

Artist in Residence at the Sydney Heritage Fleet 2 "Blowing in the Wind

Artist in Residence at the Sydney Heritage Fleet Part 1

Australia Day 2011 at Darling Harbour Part 2 :Fire and Water

'The ship parade Australia Day 2011 Darling Harbour'
 oil painting on canvas 31 x 61cm 
  unfinished plein air painting
Enquiries about this painting

 

By about 4 I'd started to move from the Endeavour jetty down to the pontoon in Darling Harbour. I had to make a couple of trips for my chair, table and easel, and it was still quite hot and humid.
I was worried that I'd flake out before the fireworks which weren't due to start until 9pm, but the lead up events were so exciting that they kept my energy levels up.
After some music, the Australian of the Year, Senior and Junior Australian of the Year, and the Local Hero were introduced with short but moving speeches.
Then the old heritage Pyrmont swing bridge was opened to allow the ship parade to sail through led by the 'Ted Noffs', usually berthed at Moore's Wharf, next to Barangaroo.

This canvas shows the start of the spectacular ship parade.

Some spectators are on the right, and in the background is the brilliant red and yellow 'Ted Noffs' Emergency Response vessel of Sydney Ports Corporation.
This canvas got badly smudged during the long trek back, but enough remains of the initial impulse for me to be able to rescue it.

'Firetruck Barge Australia Day 2011 Darling Harbour ' 
oil painting on canvas 15 x 30cm
Enquiries about this painting

A great highlight of the ship parade was when the firemen on the barge sprayed the enthusiastic crowd with water from their hose.

The crowd loved it as it was still so hot.

As many areas can be more accessible by water than by road in an emergency, the people on the fire barges are the great unsung heroes of the emergency services.

'The ship spectacular-Red Sails in the sunset-
 Australia Day 2011'
oil painting on canvas 25 x 25cm
unfinished plein air painting
Enquiries

 As the firework barges began to fizz and crackle with sparks of light, graceful yachts, with their sails tinted every colour of the rainbow began to circle them.

'Fireworks Barge Australia Day 2011 Darling Harbour' 
oil painting on canvas 10 x 10cm
unfinished plein air painting
Enquiries

A quick impression- just a few blobs of colour smeared on with my fingers, as I'd  dropped my brush in all the excitement.

The area where I had been working suddenly became open to the public. They were very well-behaved (I got quite a few compliments on my work) but I thought I'd better move so as not to get in the way while I was painting.

This tiny canvas got badly smudged but is still useful as a memory. I had to stuff it in the back pocket of my jeans to carry it back home- it was too small and kept falling out of my canvas carrier.

Helpful people kept picking it up for me during the long walk back after the festivities.

'Fireworks Barge Australia Day 2011 Darling Harbour ' 
oil painting on panel 30 x 34cm 
Enquiries

This plein air painting of one of the fireworks barges gives a much better idea of the beauty of the reflections of the light on the water.

'Spectators- Fireworks -Australia Day 2011 Darling Harbour' 
oil painting on canvas 61 x 41cm 
unfinished plein air painting
Enquiries

The silhouettes of people looking up in wonder at the blaze of glory above.

They are emergency services workers and their families, the honoured guests of the day.

Related posts

2012 Classic + Wooden Boat Show, Australian National Maritime Museum

Boat at Goat

Australia Day 2011 at Darling Harbour Part 1: Endeavour

Beyond the Sea

Invitation to an exhibition:

'Beyond the Sea' 

: an exhibition held by the Sydney Heritage Fleet and ASMA, The Australian Society of Marine Artists.

Opening night : Friday 26th November 2010 6 - 8pm

Wharf 7, Pirrama Road, Pyrmont 2009

Opening night admission : $10

RSVP Friday 19th November : please call (02) 9298 3888

The exhibition continues until 12th December

Hours 10am - 3pm

Admission free on all other days except for opening night

 Donation to the Sydney Heritage Fleet
I am donating this painting - it will be raffled and all proceeds are being donated to the Sydney Heritage Fleet

'The Tall Ship 'James Craig' at Darling Harbour' 
2003  oil on paper 48 x 37 cm

This is painted opposite Wharf 7, the  headquarters of the Sydney Heritage Fleet.

  My Paintings will be for sale in the exhibition at Wharf 7, Headquarters of the Sydney Heritage Fleet

I will be one of the featured artists in this exhibition as my paintings depict historic moments in the development of both Pyrmont and Barangaroo.

"Pyrmont and Miller's Point from the roof of Pyrmont Power station"  1993 

oil on canvas 91 x 122 cm

Enquiries about these and other Pyrmont, Millers Point, East Darling Harbour Wharves and Barangaroo paintings:

janecooperbennett@gmail.com

This canvas was painted from the roof of the old Pyrmont Power Station, now replaced by Star City Casino.The pile of rubble in the centre is an old signal box in the Pyrmont Goods Yard, the 'Spanish Cafe' in Baz Luhrman's classic Australian film 'Strictly Ballroom'. The bright red ship in the background is the notorious 'Tampa'! 

In the early 1980's,when I first started to paint in Pyrmont, the building in the centre of this painting was the site of Pier 13, where so many immigrantss first set foot on Australian soil. It was still connected to Jones Bay Road by an elegant land bridge. Later Pier 13 became the temporary casino, was painted a hideous shade of yellow and the land bridge was demolished. Pier 13 has since been replaced by 'Workplace6', home of 'Google' and Paul Signorelli's restaurants 'Gastronomia' and 'Biaggio'.

 Curving under the bridge is the old Pyrmont goods line, built in 1916, which looped through Darling Harbour and around Pyrmont across Wentworth Park and beyond. At vast expense, this goods line was torn up and replaced by the dubious benefit of light rail.

I have painted Pyrmont's metamorphosis from an industrial wasteland to a media and entertainment hub over a 30 year period. I painted from dozens of business and residential premises, painting panoramas of the dramatically changing urban landscape from rooftops, chimneys, demolition sites and even the summit of the half completed Anzac Bridge.

I will exhibit some of my Barangaroo paintings in this venue,showing the area's exciting transition from a working port to the preparations for its transformation into Sydney's new cultural and economic hub. I have been 'Artist in Residence' at Barangaroo since the early 2000's, compiling an archive of all the changes and so far I've maintained my position throughout the area's change of owners. I was granted unprecedented access to paint this area as a working port by Sydney Ports Corporation, Patrick Corporation and P & O. Now I am starting to paint the demolition and construction activities at Barangaroo South.

'Barangaroo when it was a working port-The yard from the port captain's office'

2007 oil on canvas 91 x 122 cm

Enquiries about these and other Millers Point, East Darling Harbour Wharves and Barangaroo paintings:

janecooperbennett@gmail.com

This is Barangaroo as it used to be as a working port. Compare this painting with the empty wharf paintings that follow. Jeffrey Smart, eat your heart out!

'The empty wharf'2007 oil painting on canvas 100 x 122cm

Enquiries about these and other Millers Point, East Darling Harbour Wharves and Barangaroo paintings:

janecooperbennett@gmail.com

The 2 horizontal paintings were painted from the same viewpoint exactly 1 year apart.

'The Harbour Control Tower from the Hungry Mile' 
2008 oil on canvas 183 x 122cm.

Enquiries about these and other Millers Point, East Darling Harbour Wharves and Barangaroo paintings:

janecooperbennett@gmail.com

This canvas was painted as soon as the wharfies had left.
While the wharf was still operational I would never have been allowed to paint here as it was far too dangerous. Forklifts used to constantly whip in and out, and there was a deafening alarm that would go off when they did. I had earmarked this spot for an iconic painting as soon as I arrived. 
The doorway frames the Sydney Harbour Tower, the bond stores and the quirky architecture of the heritage Palisade Hotel perched on the golden sandstone escarpment to perfection.

Related articles

• Pyrmont paintings past and present- My Exhibition in the Australian National Maritime Museum
• We like sheep - Waite and Bull Building 137 Pyrmont Street

• My exhibition at the Sydney Open (janebennettartist.blogspot.com)
• Something old-Something New- Some paintings at Barangaroo (barangarooartist.blogspot.com)

Marine Art Exhibition at the Australian National Maritime Museum

 Australian National Maritime Museum

I will be exhibiting these paintings at the  Australian Society of Marine Artists exhibition at the "Wooden Boat Festival"
WHEN: From 10 am - 4pm Saturday 16th October and Sunday 17th October 2010
WHERE: at the Australian National Maritime Museum
EVENT: Wooden Boat Festival
These are some of the paintings which I will be exhibiting on the October 16-17 weekend with the Australian Society of Marine Artists exhibition at the "Wooden Boat Festival"
The Australian Society of Marine Artists are a group of artists and others interested in marine and maritime art : painters, lithographers and printmakers, sculptors, model-makers and historians. Every painting style from traditional to contemporary, realist to abstract is represented : ships, seascapes, maritime history and heritage.

'The 'Spirit of Tasmania' departs for the last time

from Darling Harbour' 2006

oil painting on canvas 25 x 31 cm

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This painting is of a landmark in the history of Sydney Harbour - the final departure of the 'Spirit of Tasmania 3" from the East Darling Harbour Wharves in October 2006.
The 'Spirit of Tasmania 3" , (nicknamed 'Spot' by all the wharfies) was later sold to an overseas shipping line and I have heard that she has been renamed and is in use as a ferry in the North Sea.
The 'Spirit of Tasmania" numbers 1 and 2, are still in Australian waters, but their journeys are between Melbourne and Devonport. Occasionally they come to Garden Island, Sydney Harbour dry dock for repairs and maintenance.

The Sydney Heritage Fleet's tall ship, the 'James Craig' and Wharf 7, Pyrmont can be seen in the background.

The last journey of the 'Spirit of Tasmania 3'
It was an atmosphere reminiscent of the last day of school. People running around taking photos and swapping addresses. Manic excitement, regret, and a strange undercurrent of foreboding about what the future may bring.
To add to the sense of occasion was a touch of glamour. Added to the usual queue of cars and bikes waiting in the sun was a line of lovingly restored vintage cars, bound for a rally in Tasmania. In one of the many paintings that I started that day, I featured a green Rover and its patient driver in the foreground. I certainly had enough time to paint them as they were sitting in the queue from 9.30am to 2.30pm when they were finally allowed to drive on board. The Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW, later acquired this canvas.
Everything that wasn't nailed down was hauled off and dragged on board. I mean 'Everything that wasn't nailed down' absolutely literally and not as a lazy cliche. I had been storing some canvases and easels in a little shed and suddenly had to leap up from my wet painting and rescue them from making an unscheduled visit to Tasmania. I nearly lost my cup of coffee which I had left perched on a concrete barrier when forklifts started to load all of the concrete onto the ship.

"'Endeavour ' Tall ship race -Australia Day"
oil painting on canvas 20 x 25cm

Available  

A close up of the 'HMB Endeavour', one of the 'Tall Ships' making its way back to its mooring after the Tall Ships Parade on Australia Day 2007.

This was painted from the East Darling Harbour Wharves (now called Barangaroo) while the area was still a working port.

'The Tug 'Karoo' 2006

oil painting on canvas 28 x 36 cm

Available

For more information see My Pyrmont page in this blog

Related posts

Looking over the overlooked-Urban decay in Pyrmont
To the Point
Wrong side of the tracks - Darling Island Bond and Free

Pretty vacant

A Tale of two hotels - the Terminus and the Point

Pyrmont Paintings past and present My Exhibition in the Australian National Maritime Museum
Paintings of Pink pubs - Painting the Jolly Frog Part 2 

My exhibition at the 2010 Sydney Open

Beyond the Sea

2012 Classic and Wooden Boat Show at the Australian National Maritime Museum

Ships that pass-Painting Sydney Harbour from the bridge of the Maersk Gateshead Part 2.

I painted this panoramic canvas of the western side of Sydney Harbour from the bridge of the "Maersk Gateshead".

DH258 'Pyrmont and the James Craig
from the bridge of the Maersk Gateshead'
2010 oil on canvas 31 x 153cm
Available

This was the last cargo ship to be docked at wharf 5, of the former East Darling Harbour Wharves, which has now been redeveloped into the Barangaroo precinct.
It wasn't unloaded there, but was waiting for repairs and finally left at 3pm Monday 14th June 2010.
The captain watched me painting from the dockside, and was intrigued. After a bit of negotiation I spent the next 4 days having the run of the ship. I painted a series of canvases, from the bridge of the ship itself. 

DH258 'Pyrmont and the James Craig
from the bridge of the Maersk Gateshead'
2010 oil on canvas 31 x 153cm
Available

During my previous 6 or so years as 'Artist in Residence' at the East Darling Harbour Wharves, I had often been invited by various captains to paint from their ship.

This is a view of my 'studio on a ship, with the unfinished canvas on my French Box easel.

DH258 'Pyrmont and the James Craig
from the bridge of the Maersk Gateshead'
2010 oil on canvas 31 x 153cm
Available

This shows a close up detail of the left hand side of the same canvas, showing the former wharves of Pyrmont in the shadow of the towers of Jackson's Landing and the Anzac bridge.

DH258 'Pyrmont and the James Craig
from the bridge of the Maersk Gateshead'
2010 oil on canvas 31 x 153cm
Available

This close up detail shows the containers of the Maersk Gateshead, and in the distance is the 'Pacific Jewel', the last time a cruise ship would dock at Wharf 8, the 'old' cruise ship terminal. I've put 'old' in inverted commas because it was only built in 1999, as part of the Sydney 2000 Olympics building boom, and now redundant after just over 10 years. Sydney's urban landscape makes 'dog years' look languid.

As soon as the 'Pacific Jewel' left, the fences enclosed the perimeter of the Cruise ship Terminal, and demolition began.

I contrasted the boxy lines of the modern white cruise ship with the lovingly restored tall ship of the Sydney Heritage Fleet, the 'James Craig' making its way back to its home next to Wharf 7, Pyrmont.

DH260 'Millers Point from the bridge of the Maersk Gateshead'
2010 oil on canvas 31 x 103cm
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Enquiries about similar paintings or prints

I'd often record the bustle of a working wharf beneath me, as well as the workers' terraces perched on High Street and Merriman Street directly opposite and almost at my eye-level.

But this time, everything had changed.

Forever.

The wharf has been scraped to the bone. Wharf buildings, cranes and forklifts have gone, and there is a vast empty void framed with a randomly curved blue line supposedly echoing the original shoreline. A couple of security guards bored out of their tiny minds, walk aimlessly up and down. At least they're getting fit.

I was glad to be on the bridge of the ship and not on the wharf, because on the bridge I was mostly left to paint in peace as the crew had work to get on with.

On the wharf, the guards were nice, but driving me bonkers, because they had no other distractions to relieve their boredom. As it was obvious that the days of painting on the Wharves were numbered, I didn't have time to waste.

The sandstone escarpment and Millers Point workers terraces glow in the reflection of the setting sun, as does the doomed Harbour Control Tower, which was still my studio.

Compare this to a similar panorama of the wharf painted from a similar vantage point of the bridge of another ship, the 'Taiko' only 4 years before.

DH33A-B'From the Bridge of the 'Taiko' Diptych''
2006 oil on board 20 x 40cm each
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Enquiries about similar paintings or prints

The lines on the wharf in the 2006 diptych are not random or imposed by a landscape designer. They are pedestrian walkways, and grids to designate parking for trucks, freight or cars, but create a complex interplay of arrows and lines worthy of Jeffrey Smart.

I knew this would be the last cargo ship to ever dock here, and the last time it would be a working wharf. So it was my last chance to see and paint the harbour from this vantage point, and I made the most of it.

After the Maersk Gateshead left, a temporary Cruise Ship Terminal was set up in a large white tent (ok then, a marquee) marking time until the new terminal was built at White Bay. 

As soon as that opened developers were free to literally cut along the dotted line, and the 200 year history of the East Darling Harbour Wharf, aka the 'Hungry Mile' would end.

Related articles

Paintings of the old Port

Millers Point, 3 Years On

Out from the storerooms -paintings from the State library Collection

Related Posts

The end of an era

Last of the Hungry Mile

Tie a yellow ribbon

Eaten by robots

The mother art is architecture