Painting the Icebreaker "Polar Star"

I was continuing my paintings of the Hammerhead Crane at Garden Island last Friday when I was startled by the arrival of a large red-hulled ship.

Holding up my painting of 'U.S. Coastguard Cutter "Polar Star"arriving at Garden Island'
 2014 oil on canvas 20 x 25cm
as the icebreaker departs for the Antarctic

                   

It docked alongside the Hammerhead Crane, so was difficult to ignore.

On its hull was the number "10" and the name "U.S. Coast Guard" written in white block letters.
It was the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter "Polar Star", one of the world's most powerful icebreakers making a port call in Sydney before it transits to conduct a rescue mission in the Antarctic.

This heavy icebreaker cut short its Sydney visit to go to the rescue of 2 ships stuck in the Antarctic ice - the Russian research ship 'Akademik Shokalskiy' which has been trapped in ice-clogged Commonwealth Bay since Christmas Eve, as well as the Chinese ship which came to its rescue, 'Xue Long' ( 'Snow Dragon' in Chinese) and had also become stuck nearby.

Holding up my painting of
'U.S. Coastguard Cutter "Polar Star" 

arriving at Garden Island'
 2014 oil on canvas 20 x 25cm

                       

Fortunately I always carry a selection of small canvases, just in case I need to capture an unexpected moment.

I painted a  20 x 25cm small horizontal canvas of the Polar Star's arrival at Garden Island, with the crescent of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the background partially hidden by the trees of the Royal Botanic Gardens and Mrs Macquarie's Chair.
I also managed to finish a 15 x 30cm tiny panoramic canvas of the Polar Star docked beside the Hammerhead Crane before her departure for Antarctica on the morning of Sunday 5th January.
And I work fast.

On my easel is my half finished panoramic painting of
'U.S. Coastguard Cutter "Polar Star"  at Garden Island'
 2014 oil on canvas 30 x 153cm
Enquiries

                           

I started an ambitious panorama showing the "Polar Star" beneath the Hammerhead Crane on the left, while on the right is a glimpse of the HMAS Sydney behind some dock buildings and an old crane.

On my easel is my half finished panoramic painting of
'U.S. Coastguard Cutter "Polar Star"  at Garden Island'
 2014 oil on canvas 30 x 153cm
Enquiries

                           

I knew I wouldn't have time to finish this painting before the "Polar Star" left for its Antarctic rescue mission, but I have enough information from the 2 small studies I painted earlier to be able to complete it.

On my easel is my half finished panoramic painting of
'U.S. Coastguard Cutter "Polar Star" at Garden Island'
 2014 oil on canvas 30 x 153cm
Enquiries
                          

Related posts

Painting International Fleet Review, Barangaroo Part 2
Hammerhead Crane
Under the Hammer

Ozymandias

Hammerhead Crane, Garden Island

Starting painting the Hammerhead Crane
on Garden Island
Enquiries
The Hammerhead Crane on Garden Island was built between 1944- 1951.

It was still, at the time of this painting, the largest dockside crane in Australia, and one of only 15 still standing around the world.

Soon there will be only 14, as Sydney's Hammerhead Crane has not been used since 1996 and will soon be demolished.

I've been trying to get access to paint the Hammerhead Crane from Garden Island for over 2 years.
After a longer than usual struggle with bureaucracy, I finally gained permission to paint there during the Navy "Rap" period.

No hiphop is involved with the Navy's "Rap"- it's apparently an acronym for reduced activity over the Christmas holiday period.

As the sky became more overcast, I decided to repaint the background for a more dramatic effect.

I think about these structures as a paleontologist regards fossils as once living organisms, and to understand them in that light.

The specimens paleontologists collect are not the living creatures but the few skeletons and fragments that have had the good fortune to survive the lottery of decay and fossilization and come out on the other side as beautiful relics.
The sites I paint are usually relics.

My vantage point for my first painting of the Hammerhead Crane on Garden Island is from the Fitting out Wharf, just to the north of the crane.
I have often painted the Hammerhead Crane from Mrs Macquarie's Chair and the Woolloomooloo Fingerwharf opposite. From these viewpoints, the Hammerhead Crane looked like an leftover Meccano toy.
However now I am almost directly beneath it, I feel overwhelmed by the power and scale of this immense crane looming over me.
The mass of scaffolding unfortunately obscures much of the original structure, while fortunately also preventing it from dropping rusty remnants on my head from a great height.
The contractors will have to construct a temporary crane next to the Hammerhead, which will take several weeks.
The demolition process might take the better part of a year from start to finish, so there will be time to paint many more canvases.

"Hammerhead Crane from the
Fitting Out Wharf, Garden Island "
2014 oil on canvas 61 x 51cm
Enquiries

Several of my paintings and drawings of the Hammerhead Crane have won multiple art awards.
I exhibited my series of paintings and drawings of the Hammerhead Crane at my solo exhibition at the Frances Keevil Gallery "Under the Hammer" 18th November - 7th December 2014.

More paintings with a naval theme
Painting the International Fleet Review at Barangaroo Part 2

Painting the International Fleet Review at Barangaroo

Painting 'Spirit of Tasmania' in Garden Island Drydock

Painters and dockers - Artist in Residence on the tall ship 'James Craig' Part 2

Starting my plein air painting of

"Painters with 'James Craig ' in Garden Island dry dock"

Available

I had originally stored my paints, brushes, canvases, table, chair and easel in the deckhouse of the James Craig, but I realised that the ritual of unlocking and sorting through all my stuff wasted too much time. Now I keep the half-finished canvases on the 'tween deck of the James Craig, and leave the table and easel in a corner on the floor of the dry dock.

unfinished plein air painting of

"Painters with 'James Craig ' in Garden Island dry dock"

Available

It's quite a hike down from the ship to the floor of the dry dock.

unfinished plein air painting of "Painters with 'James Craig '

in Garden Island dry dock"

Available

I choose a position where the ship looms toward me between the walls of the dry dock.

Unfinished plein air painting of "Painters with 'James Craig '

in Garden Island dry dock"

Available

I try to make sure that I have enough room for the mast, rigging and the dockyard crane overhead.

unfinished plein air painting of

'James Craig in drydock being painted'

2013 oil on canvas 100 x 75cm

Available

I knew that it would be overcast and so prepared a few canvases with a black imprimatura (underpainting). I find that this gives the clouds a more 3 dimensional quality.

Artist Jane Bennett with her unfinished plein air painting

of 'James Craig in drydock being painted'

2013 oil on canvas 100 x 75cm
Available

Portrait of the artist in full PPE (personal protective equipment) regalia.

Artist Jane Bennett with her unfinished plein air painting

of 'James Craig in drydock being painted'

2013 oil on canvas 100 x 75cm
Available

Hard hat, hi res jacket, tinted safety glasses, earmuffs and metal capped boots.

Unfinished plein air painting of

'James Craig in drydock being painted'

2013 oil on canvas 100 x 75cm
Available

There is another tall ship, the HMB Endeavour, in the dry dock, but I can't get too close to her as she is being sandblasted back to her original wood and can barely be seen in the dust haze.

Unfinished plein air painting of

'James Craig in drydock being painted'

2013 oil on canvas 100 x 75cm
Available

The dark bulk of the 'James Craig' stands out dramatically in front of the threatening clouds.

Unfinished plein air painting of

'James Craig in drydock being painted'

2013 oil on canvas 100 x 75cm
Available

I was worried that it was going to rain. It's risky starting such a large canvas as it takes so many trips back up to the top. The dockyard steps are narrow and a wet canvas has to be carried on its own without other luggage.

.

Unfinished plein air painting of

'James Craig in drydock being painted'

2013 oil on canvas 100 x 75cm
Available
Suddenly I realized that I wasn't the only painter on the dock floor, as 2 white clad men started to haphazardly spray patches of red on the prow of James Craig.

Unfinished plein air painting of

'James Craig in drydock being painted'

2013 oil on canvas 100 x 75cm
Available  

They cheekily "offer" to pose for me. They don't actually mean it, but I paint them in anyway.

Their figures provide a useful gauge to judge scale. This painterly device is known as "staffage" - the size of the figures can be compared and contrasted with the size of the ship
Tim Drinkwater, the dockyard manager of the Sydney Heritage Fleet, told me that the painters would only be there for 8 minutes, but that was long enough for me to block in the basic shapes.
The painters came up later to take photos of my painting of them.
They will be back to finish their painting on Tuesday.
I like the patchy 'work in progress' look of the hull, so I'll try to finish my painting before theirs.


My half - finished painting of
'James Craig in drydock being painted'
2013 oil on canvas 100 x 75cm
Available 
This canvas is in a 'portrait' format - vertical rather than the more usual horizontal one, which is unusual for a painting of a ship.


My half - finished painting of
'James Craig in drydock being painted'
2013 oil on canvas 100 x 75cm
Available 

I wanted the ship to dominate the canvas and used the extreme perspective to make it feel as though it is towering over the onlooker, and the prow almost poke you in the eye.

My half - finished painting of
'James Craig in drydock being painted'
2013 oil on canvas 100 x 75cm
Available 

I am quite short, so I have to fold the legs of the easel up and set it on the ground as I'm not tall enough to paint the masts and rigging with it in the ordinary position.

My half - finished painting of
'James Craig in drydock being painted'
Available 

At least this way it won't fall over in the wind.

My half - finished painting of 'James Craig in drydock being painted'
2013 oil on canvas 100 x 75cm
Available 
They keep moving the dockyard crane. Any further to the left and it will be out of the picture. I can only just manage to squeeze it in without it looking too cramped.



My half - finished painting of
"Painters with 'James Craig ' in Garden Island dry dock" 2013
oil on canvas 75 x 100cm
Available 

I like the final position of the crane, though, as it won't be obscured by the masts and rigging. It gives the composition a little more drama, as it looks as though it could topple into the dock with a gust of wind.

My half - finished painting of
"Painters with 'James Craig ' in Garden Island dry dock"
2013 oil on canvas 75 x 100cm
Available 

The end of my first full day painting on the floor of the dry dock - time to lug my easel, paint, chair, paints, brushes and large wet canvases all the way up the stairs of the dock and across the gangplank to my studio on the 'tweendeck of the James Craig. It's a long way up and takes several trips so I won't need to join a gym anytime soon.

My studio on the 'tween deck of the 'James Craig'
World's coolest studio!
 Available

'James Craig in drydock being painted'
2013 oil on canvas 100 x 75cm
Available

'James Craig and HMB Endeavour in drydock 2'
2013 oil on canvas 75 x 100cm
Available

 

Related posts

Artist in Residence on the James Craig Part 1

Painting Spirit of Tasmania 1 in Garden Island Drydock

Australia Day 2011 at Darling Harbour Part 1: Endeavour

Painting 'Millers Point' from Moore's Wharf

This small canvas is of Miller's Point - the boat, that is - not its namesake suburb up the hill!

MW14 'Millers Point'
2013 oil on canvas 41 x 31cm
Available for sale
There's quite a motley collection of work vessels big and small, berthed at the Sydney Port Corporation's Port Jackson headquarters at Moore’s Wharf.

MW14 'Millers Point'
2013 oil on canvas 41 x 31cm
Available for sale
As I arrived, "Millers Point", Sydney Port Corporation’s new emergency response launch, was being lifted from the water onto piles of huge tyres on the wharf, alongside the crane.
Usually it's in the water at its customary berth in front of Moore's Wharf, but it was waiting to get its twin 225hp Honda outboard motors serviced.

MW14 'Millers Point'
2013 oil on canvas 41 x 31cm
Available for sale
I hadn't painted this new addition to Sydney Port Corporation's fleet before, & I decided to capture the drama of the boat lift in a small canvas.

I must admit that I was still mourning the loss of the historic old warhorse, the 'Poolya', which had been broken up at Glebe Island Wharf, in early February 2013, not long before.
"Millers Point" was designed in Western Australia by Global Marine and built by Axiom Alloys of Mt Druitt.
"Millers Point", is 9.3m in length with a beam of 3.35m and a draft of 0.55m. It has a speed that can exceed 40kn. It has a trihedral hull & is fitted with a 6hp stand-alone fire pump.

MW14 'Millers Point'
2013 oil on canvas 41 x 31cm
Available for sale

Related Posts 

Painting the 'Poolya'

Painting the 'Shirley Smith' at Moore's Wharf