Artist in Residence at the White Bay Power Station

Starting a new canvas on the site of the

now demolished Boiler House 2,

White Bay Power Station, Rozelle, Sydney, NSW

Available for sale

Back in the 1980's, I painted the White Bay Power Station while it was still operational.

In the 1990's, while the Pyrmont Power Station and Balmain Power Station were in the process of being demolished, I returned to the area to paint the Unilever site, the White Bay Hotel and the Goods Yard. While the Anzac Bridge was being constructed, I painted birds-eye views of the site from the summit of the western pylon. In 2000, the ownership of the site passed from Pacific Power to the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority (SHFA). From 2002 - 2004 I painted exterior views of the Boiler House and monumental interiors of the Turbine Hall, one of which was acquired by the Mitchell Library, State Library of N.S.W. for their collection.

From 2008 I have been painting this magnificent relic from the wharves of Glebe Island and White Bay.

Now I've returned to the site itself as 'Artist in Residence'.

Starting a new canvas on the site of the

now demolished Boiler House 2,

White Bay Power Station, Rozelle, Sydney, NSW

Available for sale

The bright red belongs to some containers which are full of debris from some of SHFA's other sites. Bizarrely, one of these containers has been decorated with paintings of butterflies.

Starting a new canvas on the site of the

now demolished Boiler House 2,

White Bay Power Station, Rozelle, Sydney, NSW

Available for sale

This canvas was painted close to the railway corridor next to the old ash handling yard to the south east of the site.

I have chosen to explore the slightly less glamorous aspect of the site as the first paintings of my long awaited return to the site, rather than the all too familiar view from Mullens Street.

Every half baked photographer and his dog has an image or two of the iconic chimney stacks from the northern Balmain side. This is scarcely a challenge - far too easy. I know this building very well, inside and out, and have painted it and the surrounding area over the past 3 decades.

My paintings show the White Bay Power Station's subtler charms.

Starting a new canvas on the site of the

now demolished Boiler House 2,

White Bay Power Station, Rozelle, Sydney, NSW

Available for sale

In the foreground is the space where the 2nd Boiler House, built on the southern side in 1927, and demolished from 1975-1976.

Now this space is used for leftover debris from the clearing of Ballast Point, a former Caltex fuel depot, now a public park. I remember painting some of these relics on location at Ballast Point before its transformation in 2004-5.

Starting a new canvas on the site of the

now demolished Boiler House 2,

White Bay Power Station, Rozelle, Sydney, NSW

Available for sale

The imposing facade, even from the back has a stern grandeur and dignity found in castles and forts.

The dramatic shadow cast by this monolith is occasionally broken by glints of sunlight that touch weeds now infesting the vacant upper south yard, once home to the White Bay Hotel which finally succumbed to a mysterious fire in 2009.

"White Bay Power Station from the back 1" 2011
oil on canvas 46 x 61cm
Available for sale

"White Bay Power Station from the back 2" 2011
oil on canvas 46 x 61cm
Available for sale

Also see my page in this blog :

White Bay Hotel/White Bay Power Station Paintings

Related posts

Spin me round

Inside Out

Tower of power

Power House

Artist in Residence at the White Bay Power Station Part 2

Steady Rest

Rust Bucket

Pyrmont : Shadows of the past

I'm exhibiting 2 very large tonal drawings of early Pyrmont in a
Group Exhibition
June 13 - July 17 2011 at the Frances Keevil Gallery :
 

 P116A "Looking West from the top of the ANZAC bridge"

1995 - 6 mixed media on paper 141 x 134cm

Available for sale

Exhibition History:

FINALIST : 1996 GRAFTON JACARANDA DRAWING PRIZE

WINNER : 1996 PEOPLE'S CHOICE GRAFTON JACARANDA DRAWING PRIZE
Exhibited 2010 exhibition "Closing the Gap"  Frances Keevil Gallery COLLECTION : MITCHELL LIBRARYThe ultimate bird’s eye view of Sydney – the top of the western pylon of the still unfinished New Glebe Island Bridge provided me with majestic panoramas of Harbour, Bridge & City on the east.

However in 2 large drawings I decided to concentrate on the stark industrial landscapes on the north-west. It was as yet un-named – only after it was operational for at least a year did Bob Carr christen it the ANZAC Bridge.

I was invited up here as a consequence of being the resident artist of the Pyrmont Power Station, when Sydney Electricity were having discussions with the RTA and Baulderstone Hornibrook about lighting the Bridge.

While the bridge was being built, access to the top was by a tiny green lift that lurched unsteadily up one of the legs on the eastern and western side.The lifts seemed to be made mostly of chickenwire and it felt like every time they managed to groan upwards a couple of metres, they would suddenly lurch downwards at least half as much again.

After construction finished, access to the top was a lot more strenuous, although not as gut-wrenching. The legs of the ANZAC Bridge are hollow! To get to the top still needs a touch of courage as well as the ability to climb a steel rung ladder- the last 30 metres are completely vertical.

Now the old White Bay Hotel has been burnt down in mysterious circumstances, and subsequently demolished. The entire Bays precinct stretches from Blackwattle Bay, Glebe in the West, through White Bay and Glebe Island wharf, all the way to Balmain in the east. This huge expanse of former maritime industries faces unprecedented change in the near future, which I am poised to record.

 

 

P117 'Industrial Cathedral' 1998
charcoal on paper 131 x 131 cm
Available for sale
WINNER : 1998 HUNTER'S HILL OPEN ART PRIZE
FINALIST: 1998 BLAKE PRIZE FOR RELIGIOUS ART
FINALIST : 1998 DOBELL PRIZE FOR DRAWING, ART GALLERY OF NSW
EXHIBITED : 1998 - 2000 Blake Prize Touring Exhibition Touring the Regional Galleries of Australia
Drawn at the Cooperage, C.S.R. Refinery, where they made the barrels for the rum at the Distillery.
The Cooperage was a trio of connected saw-tooth warehouses behind the cranes where the ships used to dock.
I remember a giant mound of sugar inside the eastern shed. Some of the workers said (I hope as a joke !?) that they used to go for toboggan rides down it during smoko! Whether or not this was a joke, for many years afterwards I avoided eating sugar if possible - especially brown sugar!
By this time LendLease had demolished all the cranes on the dock and many of the other structures surrounding. The tin roof had gone and the skeletal framework reminded vaguely me of boatbuilding.
This drawing focuses on the mysterious patterns of shadow made by the fall of light. The cavernous space & rows of columns reminded me of the interiors of cathedrals & ruined abbeys. The wall at the back was the famous butter-yellow Pyrmont sandstone, which has been quarried to decorate the best loved historic Sydney buildings such as the Australian Museum, the Sydney Post Office, the University of Sydney. At sunset the sandstone rock face caught the last rays of light & the derelict warehouse was transformed.
In this series I painted many oils on canvas and board, and a few ink wash drawings on paper. The image of this area haunted me for several years, and I decided that I needed to create a drawing on a monumental scale while it was still there.
Now this building is the site of the "Cooperage cafe", servicing the new residents of LendLease's upmarket Jackson's Landing development.
I chose this image as the banner for my blog "Industrial Revelation"

I felt that it was an iconic image, summing up my mission to reveal the sadly neglected beauty of industrial heritage.

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
Paintings of Pink pubs - Painting the Jolly Frog Part 2 
Not the Writers Festival- Exhibition of Pyrmont Paintings by Jane Bennett at 2013 Pyrmont Festival
We like sheep - Waite and Bull Building 137 Pyrmont Street
Marine art exhibition at Australian National Maritime Museum
Pyrmont Sandstone - The Lizards of Oz

Eveleigh Windows - (Very) Stained Glass Windows Part 3

Hidden Beauty

E85 Eveleigh Windows 2011 oil on canvas 51x 41cm

Sold : $2,400

Enquiries

The most apparently unpromising place can reveal unexpected moments of beauty. 

I feel sometimes that my paintbrush can act as a magic wand.

 A fleeting shaft of light can magically transform a pile of rubble or a dilapidated roof in a fraction of a second.

Image by Jane Bennett Artist via Flickr

Related posts in this blog

• Eveleigh - (Very) Stained Glass Windows Part 2
• Eveleigh - (Very) Stained Glass Windows Part 1

Eveleigh - (Very) Stained Glass Windows Part 2

Flaws in the Glass

E84 Eveleigh Windows 2011 mixed media on paper 76x 56cm

Available for sale : $4,500

Enquiries

I have painted in the Large Erecting Shop for many years now, and usually I have concentrated on the trains rather than the building itself, as the trains were there for only a short time. 
However the fabric of the building itself is to alter soon, so my focus has shifted.
I completed a lovely little oil on canvas of a nondescript corner of the building, but then I decided to concentrate on the play of light, as so little colour was visible. Then I thought, why not paint a series of works in black and white.
I was reminded of some of my favourite Lloyd Rees paintings, his series of the medieval stained glass windows of Chartres Cathedral.

Painting E78 'Window, Large Erecting Shop' 2011ink pastel acrylic on paper 115 x 75cm

Tools of the trade. Large bottle of black acrylic paint and a small bottle of water spray.
I paint with black and white acrylic paint, alternating with black Indian ink to produce areas of thin wash or impasto.

Painting E78 'Window, Large Erecting Shop' 2011ink pastel acrylic on paper 115 x 75cm

Then alternately tilting the enormous work from side to side to get the effect of the cracks in the glass by spraying the ink with water until it freely drips, then quickly laying it on the floor when I have the effect I want. 

High risk technique - really working without a safety net.

Painting E78 'Window, Large Erecting Shop' 2011ink pastel acrylic on paper 115 x 75cm

Then I take soft white Schminke pastel - so soft that it crumbles into powder- and broadly sweep it down the ares of the most intense light. With the palm of my hand I briskly smear it across highlights on the brickwork, then partially rub it off ink lines where I want cracks in the shattered panes to appear. 
Also a high risk technique, and very messy.

Painting E78 'Window, Large Erecting Shop' 2011ink pastel acrylic on paper 115 x 75cm

This is next to the old signal box where I sometimes keep my easel. 
I have heard a rumour that they will paint the floors white!
I can't believe this!  They will still be using this area for trains - possibly even steam trains! There will be oil, diesel, soot all over the floor by the end of the first day! A white coloured floor will aid visibility only as long as it stays white, which probably won't be for long, whereas fixing the electricity and replacing some of the broken lights will go much further to reducing OH and S problems.
Well I had better make the most of working "wet in wet" with ink and pastel while I'm still able to put my painting on the floor before it all becomes too gentrified.

Painting E78 'Window, Large Erecting Shop' 2011 ink, pastel, acrylic on paper 115 x 75cm

Most people looking at these works thought at first glance that they were actual stained glass windows from  St Mary's cathedral. 
But they are just windows with a lot of stains on them. Stains made by decades of hard work, accident, even a little vandalism.
The light transforms them into visions worthy of Chartres or Sainte Chapelle.
My dealer, Frances Keevil, only half-jokingly suggested that I enter one of these works in the Blake Prize for Religious Art. 

E78 'Window, Large Erecting Shop' 2011 ink pastel acrylic on paper 115 x 75cm

Available for sale : $7,700

Enquiries

' Eveleigh Window 1' 2011 mixed media on paper 131x 115cm.
Available for sale : $11,000

Enquiries: janecooperbennett@gmail.com

The completed drawing.

Related posts in this blog

• Eveleigh - (Very) Stained Glass Windows Part 1 

Eveleigh - (Very) Stained Glass Windows Part 1

One door closes...

Early in 2012 renovations started on some parts of the interior and exterior of the Large Erecting Shop at Eveleigh. New wooden doors made to the original pattern and drawings replaced the corrugated iron doors on all 6 roads.

Wrought Artworks, the blacksmith's forge, in Bay 1/2 south of the ATP  had their massive wooden doors replaced.

Painting E77 'The corner windows, Large Erecting Shop'

2011 ink/acrylic on paper 131 x 115cm.

Available

I painted a series of paintings of the doors and windows of the Large Erecting Shop before their makeover.

Painting E77 'The corner windows, Large Erecting Shop'

2011 ink/acrylic on paper 131 x 115cm

Available

I have mixed feelings - I loved the brooding atmosphere and quirky imperfections caused by decades of soot, industry and vandalism, yet I'm glad that at least a token gesture has been made to respecting and conserving the building's heritage.

Painting E77 'The corner windows, Large Erecting Shop'

2011 ink/acrylic on paper 131 x 115cm.

Available
However, apart from fixing holes in the roof, the improvements seemed to be restricted to the purely cosmetic rather than structural - the power, lighting and water supply, which could well stand some serious improvements, didn't seem to be on the list.

Painting E77 'The corner windows, Large Erecting Shop'

2011 ink/acrylic on paper 131 x 115cm

Available 

The strange skeletal silhouettes against the windows are the relics of old train seats stacked madly against the grill!
Shapes would emerge and sink back into the gloom as railway workers opened and closed the doors.

Painting E77 'The corner windows, Large Erecting Shop'

2011 ink/acrylic on paper 131 x 115cm.

Available 
In the darkness I could barely make out the forms of motley bits of decades of collected junk; a shelf of old batteries sitting on rotting pallets,a couple of seats, a carriage window with panes of smeared and broken glass. This is flanked by a nest of ladders -I thought at first there were snakes behind them, but instead there is a cluster of bits of pipe. Around the base of the ladder to the right lie a stack of old brakes, which at first sight resembled blocks of wood.

Painting E77 'The corner windows, Large Erecting Shop'

2011 ink/acrylic on paper 131 x 115cm.

Available
But most of it is wonderfully incomprehensible and fabulously useless.

E77 'The corner windows, Large Erecting Shop' 2011

ink/acrylic on paper 131 x 115cm.

Available
The finished painting in glorious monochrome.

Related posts

The fire within

The slow return from the fire

ATP Open Day

Eveleigh painting page in my blog

Wrong side of the tracks

Macdonaldtown - A Station without a suburb

Irons in the fire - Part 6 -Better than a poke in the eye with a burnt stick

A Tale of 2 Prizes

Just returned to Australia from my exhibition in Seoul, South Korea, to find a little box of acrylics, sketch books and other art paraphernalia that had been sitting on my doorstep unnoticed.
As well as winning actual money as 2nd prize at the Royal Easter Show, some kind sponsor had thrown in some art equipment as well.

I could easily go through all the paint in those little tubes in a single afternoon, but all donations gratefully received!

E83 'Blacksmith forging '2011 
ink pastel acrylic on paper 9 x 10cm  
WINNER 2nd Prize for Miniature Painting 
2011 Royal Easter Show
Sold 
PRIVATE COLLECTION : SYDNEY
Enquiries : janecooperbennett@gmail.com

When you add the cash amount to the cost of the box of paints, this tiny little painting actually won more than double its price in prize money ! I wish I could keep that standard up for every painting!

'The Blacksmith' 2011

oil on canvas 75 x 100cm
PRIVATE COLLECTION : SYDNEY
Enquiries : janecooperbennett@gmail.com

However, my other equally worthy contenders for prizes got nowhere. 

A thorn in my side has been the so-called "Plein Air Painting" Prize. I doubt that I will ever bother entering again.

As I am one of the very few genuine plein air painters in existence, who doesn't just paint small studies but lugs giant canvases around wharves, demolition sites and foundries, to the bemusement of hundreds of surprised wharfies, blacksmiths and demolition contractors,  I consider this art prize a farce. The trouble is that after decades of painting swiftly in adverse weather conditions in front of workmen and passers-by, my works just don't have that clumsy slapped together look demanded by the organizers. 

My works rarely have much 'studio intervention' other than simple repair work ( bird dirt, insect,twig and dust removal ; and removal of grubby fingerprints from carrying them awkwardly) They have been painted quickly, but as these might well be the only records of a particular event or even an entire location, they have to look as though time were not an issue, or the lack of time an excuse for bad painting. In other words, they have to compete on their merits. 

Ironically, the same works entered in the Plein Air Painting Prize (not the ones shown here by the way) had won art prizes elsewhere in which the painting process was not an issue.

Now I've had good works chucked out of countless other art prizes and just laughed about it - I take a philosophical attitude.

The funniest occasion was when my rather nice watercolour of the Spit Bridge got thrown out of the Royal Easter show, and, wanting to get it out of my lounge room, I put it in the Wynne Prize for Landscape for a bit of a laugh. It promptly won the Trustee's Prize for Watercolour and the Pring Prize  - the joke was that if it hadn't been chucked out of the Royal Easter Show I would never have thought of entering the Wynne.

In all my years of winning prizes and selling paintings at the Royal Easter Show, getting my painting thrown out was the biggest favour they ever did me!

So why does this particular art prize stick in my throat? Because it is a Plein Air Art Prize.

I have never had a work hung in this particular art prize where I am quite possibly one of its few genuine practitioners. And I probably never will.

I have been told that my works don't have the 'look' of having been painted 'en plein air'. Yet they are. To be regarded as 'credible' my paintings should be messier, more thickly painted, more indecisive,dumber, clumsier, more unfinished, with less ambitious perspective and simpler composition and design. I have paid the penalty for my painting skill.

The works should be smaller as well- this art prize has the strange size restriction of being geared towards vertical work, with a generous vertical height limit of 2m but a horizontal one of only 85cm.

Because "nobody paints large canvases 'en plein air' !"

The predictable result is a bias towards a vertical grid of little studies. Fine, but one of the valid aspects of landscape painting has always been the "sublime"- the feeling of being overawed and overwhelmed, even physically threatened by the landscape. In this art prize there is no room for the heroic.

In short you mustn't challenge their preconceptions of what a plein air painting is. And I have no use for work that toes the line and does the 'expected'. I have been punished for my temperament as well as my skill in painting.

 I've seen artists (usually amateurs) paint outdoors in parks, gardens or the rural environment. But in all my decades of painting I have never seen anyone except Tom Carment tackle the urban environment we all mostly actually live in, 'en plein air'. I can't help feeling that artists  indulge in escapism by going off for expensive weekend retreats to the bush for 'inspiration' instead of noticing the hidden beauty closer to home.

So today I will take my unloved and unbelieved paintings  from the art gallery loading dock, back to the wharf, construction site or foundry where they were created. At least the truck-drivers, wharfies and security guards who watched me paint them, know how to appreciate them.

And they certainly do.

These works have now all been sold.

 E53 The Blacksmith Bay 1 Eveleigh

2011 oil on canvas 122 x 152cm
PRIVATE COLLECTION : SYDNEY
SOLD
Enquiries  : janecooperbennett@gmail.com

Related posts

• Irons in the fire
  

• Watching the forge fires fade
• Playing with fire
  

• Macdonaldtown - A Station without a suburb
• Strike while the iron is hot

• Eveleigh- Industrial Heritage Artist at Work
  
•  Eveleigh paintings
• The village smithy (sydney-eye.blogspot.com)
• Time for Safety 
• The slow return from the fire 
• The fire within 
• En plein air with street cred (sydney-eye.blogspot.com)