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

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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 seascape. Show all posts
Showing posts with label seascape. Show all posts

Monday 28 February 2011

A Royal rendezvous

Painting the Queen Elizabeth's arrival at the Overseas Passenger Terminal, Circular Quay, Sydney Harbour 
Woke up at 4am on a grey, drizzly dawn; at the steps of the Opera House by 5am - must be cruise ship season again!
Waiting for the royal rendezvous when the Queen Mary 2 and her newer, smaller cousin the Queen Elizabeth pass each other with Fort Denison between them.
I have gouache paints and a large block of watercolour paper to catch the occasion. However this proves not to be the most sensible choice for this type of weather. The paintings turn out well, but by the time I have chased the Queen Elizabeth to its berth for the next day and a half at the Overseas Passenger Terminal at Circular Quay, all the pages are well and truly stuck together as it starts to rain.
After a few more promising attempts at painting gouaches of the docking super liner get partially washed away, I try plan B and swap them for oil paints.
 
Marine art plein air oil painting of the 'Queen Elizabeth 2' docking at Circular Quay by marine artist Jane Bennett
I'm starting a small plein air oil painting of the Queen Elizabeth at Circular Quay Tuesday 22nd February 2011
The Queen Elizabeth at Circular Quay from the Commissioners Steps' 2011 oil on canvas 31 x 61cm
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A young couple from Melbourne happened to wander up just as I was wondering what to paint in the foreground to show the scale of the huge ship, and add some human interest. I painted them arm in arm at the top of the Commissioner's steps. (They now own the painting).
Marine art plein air oil painting of the 'Queen Elizabeth 2' docking at Circular Quay by marine artist Jane Bennett
Oil painting of ' The Queen Elizabeth at Circular Quay from the Commissioners Steps' 2011 oil on canvas 31 x 61cm
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The rain nearly drove me crazy, stopping long enough to give me a false sense of security, then setting in as soon as I settled down to get some serious painting done, but I managed to finish this oil painting at the end of the first day.
The next day I bravely started a larger canvas, knowing that the ship was due to sail at midday.
I managed to paint most of the ship before it left, but have to return to fix up the sea, and sky to my satisfaction.
I will post the "Royal Rendezvous" gouaches of the 2 Queens passing each other, as soon as I can carefully prise the paintings apart, hopefully without damaging them too much.
I might be able to use them as studies to paint a canvas from in the studio.

Wednesday 17 November 2010

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
plein air oil painting of the tall ship 'James Craig' at Wharf 7 Pyrmont by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
'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.
plein air oil painting of Sydney Harbour from the roof of the Pyrmont Power Station by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
"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:

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.


plein air oil painting of East Darling Harbour Wharves - now Barangaroo by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
'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:

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!
plein air oil painting of East Darling Harbour Wharves - now Barangaroo by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
'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:
The 2 horizontal paintings were painted from the same viewpoint exactly 1 year apart.
plein air oil painting of East Darling Harbour Wharves - now Barangaroo by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
'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:

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.

Monday 27 September 2010

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.
Plein air painting of the final departure of the 'Spirit of Tasmania 3" from the East Darling Harbour Wharves in October 2006.painted by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
'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.
Plein air painting of HMB Endeavour from the East Darling Harbour Wharves.painted by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
"'Endeavour ' Tall ship race -Australia Day"
oil painting on canvas 20 x 25cm
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.
Plein air painting of the tug 'Karoo' from the East Darling Harbour Wharves.painted by industrial heritage artist Jane Bennett
'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
Pyrmont Paintings past and present My Exhibition in the Australian National Maritime Museum
Paintings of Pink pubs - Painting the Jolly Frog Part 2 

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