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 Australia Day. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Australia Day. Show all posts

Thursday 3 February 2011

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

plein air painting of Australia Day Darling Harbour by maritime artist Jane Bennett
'The ship parade Australia Day 2011 Darling Harbour'
 oil painting on canvas 31 x 61cm 
  unfinished plein air painting
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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.
plein air painting of Australia Day Darling Harbour by maritime artist Jane Bennett
'Firetruck Barge Australia Day 2011 Darling Harbour ' 
oil painting on canvas 15 x 30cm
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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.
plein air painting of Australia Day Darling Harbour by maritime artist Jane Bennett
'The ship spectacular-Red Sails in the sunset-
 Australia Day 2011'
oil painting on canvas 25 x 25cm
unfinished plein air painting

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 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.
plein air painting of Australia Day fireworks Darling Harbour by maritime artist Jane Bennett
'Fireworks Barge Australia Day 2011 Darling Harbour' 
oil painting on canvas 10 x 10cm
unfinished plein air painting

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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.
plein air painting of Australia Day fireworks Darling Harbour by maritime artist Jane Bennett
'Fireworks Barge Australia Day 2011 Darling Harbour ' 
oil painting on panel 30 x 34cm 

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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.
plein air painting of Australia Day fireworks Darling Harbour by maritime artist Jane Bennett
'Spectators- Fireworks -Australia Day 2011 Darling Harbour' 
oil painting on canvas 61 x 41cm 
unfinished plein air painting
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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.

Australia Day 2011 at Darling Harbour Part 1: Endeavour

1. endeavour - a purposeful or industrious undertaking (especially one that     requires effort or boldness)
2.earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something



3. a sincere attempt.
4. persistent activity
5.To work with purpose
Marine art 'HMB Endeavour' at Darling Harbour  plein air oil painting by artist Jane Bennett
'HMB Endeavour' on Australia Day
 2011 oil painting on canvas 23 x 31cm
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The word 'endeavour' seems appropriate to me on several levels as a theme for Australia Day.
Plein air painting on a popular public holiday, at the hub of all of the festivities, certainly requires a fair bit of 'effort or boldness', is hopefully 'a purposeful or industrious undertaking' and is definitely an 'earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something'.
It's also the name of one of the most famous ships to visit Australia, one closely associated with our recent Australian history.
Marine art 'HMB Endeavour' at Darling Harbour oil painting by artist Jane Bennett
'Endeavour' on Australia Day
 2011 oil painting on canvas 23 x 31cm



















A very short tall ship!
I started my painting of the small canvas of the 'Endeavour' on Australia Day 2011, a bit after 9am. She is docked at her customary jetty for the Australia Day festivities and to give her many fans a last opportunity to explore her for quite a 
while.
Tomorrow the HMB Endeavour will go to Garden Island to be prepared for her next heroic voyage - the circumnavigation of Australia. This is the reason why her masts are a lot shorter than normal, as prior to this, she had some work done over at Glebe.
One spectator irreverently referred to the ship as 'Mrs Stumpy'. I think I saw her figurehead wince at this indignity.
I was able to finish this small plein air painting on the day, by just before lunch-time, despite the general craziness of the Australia Day celebrations.
My 'endeavour' had paid off!

Marine art -Cannons of  'HMB Endeavour' at Darling Harbour oil painting on canvas painted 'en plein air' by artist Jane Bennett
Painting the large canvas of the 'Endeavour' on Australia Day 2011
oil painting on canvas 76 x 102cm
An unfinished plein air painting
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I had chosen a good spot at the end of the jetty where I could observe and paint without being trampled.
Now the big decision- do I stay put ? Or move in search of the spot promised to me on the pontoon?
The ship parade was not due to start until after 5pm so I decided to push my luck and start a large canvas. This might be my last chance to paint the Endeavour for a long time, so I might as well make the most of it.
My family motto was "You might as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb". (This could have had something to do with how some of my ancestors came to Australia in the first place!)


Marine art -Cannons of  'HMB Endeavour' at Darling Harbour oil painting on canvas painted 'en plein air' by artist Jane Bennett
Painting the large canvas of the 'Endeavour' on Australia Day 2011
oil painting on canvas 76 x 102cm
An unfinished plein air painting
Sold Enquiries about similar paintings

In the background is another tall ship, the James Craig, which was sailing throughout Australia Day, but had returned by the afternoon, in time for me to include it in this canvas.
This is still unfinished, but most of the ship has been completed, leaving only the lighthouse, details of the Australian National Maritime Museum and some of the rigging to finish.


Marine art -Cannons of  'HMB Endeavour' at Darling Harbour oil painting on canvas painted 'en plein air' by artist Jane Bennett
Detail of 'The 'Endeavour' Australia Day 2011 ' - 'Cannons'
'Endeavour' on Australia Day 2011
oil painting on canvas 76 x 102cm
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This is quite a large canvas for a plein air painting.
I have included some close-up details.
Because the other end of the jetty was taken up with queues of people waiting to tour the ship, I had a fairly empty foreground which set off the bold colouring of the ship.
On my left were a magnificent pair of cannons, one apparently aimed at the Endeavour and the other at the distant James Craig, and I couldn't resist including them.
Every now and then a face would peer at me from the dark hold of the ship, squinting against the glaring afternoon sun.
When the shadows began to lengthen, I started to pack.
The Australian National Maritime Museum would be closed by 6pm, and I had at least 2 trips to make to put all of my painting stuff- folding table,chair, easel and canvases, some of it heavy and all of it awkward, on the pontoon. The pontoon wasn't that far away, probably about 400-500 metres, but the heat was stifling, and it is tricky transporting still-wet canvases around through the crowd without smearing the paint. Or getting paint on any of the onlookers! (I didn't)
Links

Facebook page - HMB Endeavour Circumnavigation 2011-2012 


Facebook page - Australian National Maritime Museum