Blog Feed: Industrial Revelation

Keep your eyes on the prize (and your finger off the trigger)

Published on 2012-05-12 06:55:00

3 "Highly Commended" Awards in the past 3 days!One off winning $1,250. One off winning another $1,250. And one off winning $5,000.Don't know whether I should accept congratulations or commiserations.I hadn't known until I collected my paintings today that I had been awarded two "High Commendations" for my entries in the Camden Art Prize.I had been awarded the "Highly Commended" for > read more

Pyrmont Sandstone - Rock On !

Published on 2012-05-04 20:09:00

My painting of a partly demolished Pyrmont warehouse is a finalist in the 2012 NSW Parliament Plein Air Painting Prize. This Exhibition will be held: Tue 1 May - Thu 31 May 2012 NSW Parliament, Macquarie Street Sydney 8.30 AM - 5.45 PM (Morning viewing only on the final day.) — at Parliament of NSWP92 'Industrial Cathedral, the Cooperage, C.S.R. Refinery' - oil on canvas 91x61cm > read more

Pyrmont sandstone - The Lizards of Oz

Published on 2012-04-23 07:06:00

I used to think that in Sydney, sandstone was as common as dirt.Sydney is to me, not the emerald city or the Harbour city, but a golden city - the sandstone city. Sandstone seems to be everywhere -from sand and rocks on the beaches to the glorious escarpments revealed by cuttings for expressways. But most of this apparent abundance is commercially useless and the rest is fit only for fill or crazy paving at best.The only sandstone of sufficient quality and durability to be used to restore or re [..] > read more

Looking over the overlooked-Urban decay in Pyrmont

Published on 2012-04-14 22:27:00

Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others. — > read more

Time for Safety

Published on 2012-03-03 19:30:00

"It is with fire that blacksmiths iron subdueUnto fair form, the image of their thought :Nor without fire hath any artist wrought Gold to its utmost purity of hue.Nay, nor the unmatched phoenix lives anew,Unless she burn."Michelangelo, Sonnet 59 I've finally completed my portrait of Chris forging chisels. Portrait of "Chris Sulis forging chisels" 2011-12 oil on canvas 183 x 122cm with the tools of trade.Portrait of "Chris Sulis forging chisels" 2011-12 oil on canvas 183 x 122cm on the easel In [..] > read more

The fire within

Published on 2012-03-02 20:02:00

"What is accomplished by fire is alchemy, whether in the furnace or kitchen stove."Paracelsus Fire is still a source of mystery and magic. It is a transforming element as well as a symbol of destruction. The discovery that fire could smelt metal was an immense technical advance in the evolution of humanity.The smiths had at their command a material that could be cast, moulded, or hammered into a tool, an ornament, a vessel for cooking or storing food or drink, or a weapon.Unfinished painting of [..] > read more

The slow return from the fire

Published on 2012-03-01 06:10:00

On the ATP Open Day I had to be in three places at once.I was to exhibit my paintings of Eveleigh in the Exhibition Hall and paint while the blacksmiths of Wrought Artworks gave their forging demonstrations.There were to be 38 paintings in the Exhibition Hall, displayed on 20 easels.The selection of works included 2 works on paper framed under glass, that were so large that they could only just be crammed into my station wagon. Some of the paintings were at my home in the north-western suburbs [..] > read more

To a Good Home- St Vincent's in the Art of Darlinghurst update

Published on 2012-02-16 18:07:00

A few of the paintings in my exhibition at St Vincent's have found good homes. In fact, the best homes I could have imagined!A couple of days ago a man walked past the Frances Keevil Gallery and saw the printed article, that I had cut out of the Sydney Morning Herald, on the door. He then went to the hospital to see the exhibition as he recognised the street and houses from the tiny photo of my painting. His parents had apparently lived in one of the houses. I'm not sure whether it was 372 Victo [..] > read more

ATP Open Day - Saturday, 25 Feb 2012

Published on 2012-02-13 17:05:00

Just wanted to let you know about theforthcoming Open Day, to be held at the Australian Technology Park on 25February, 2012 from 10 am - 4 pm which includes a large range of heritagerelated events. The inaugural Eveleigh Film Festival will commencea little earlier at 9.30 am with a tribute to JP McGowan, the son ofan Eveleigh Railway steam locomotive driver who made many railway related filmsin Hollywood in the early 1900’s. “Blacksmith” 2009 oil on canvas 100x75cm$7,700 Enquiries [..] > read more

Both sides of the street - My new exhibition "St Vincent's -In the Art of Darlinghurst"

Published on 2012-02-09 17:32:00

Hanging my exhibition St Vincent's -In the Art of DarlinghurstHanging my exhibition St Vincent's -In the Art of DarlinghurstHanging my exhibition St Vincent's -In the Art of DarlinghurstHanging my exhibition St Vincent's -In the Art of DarlinghurstHanging my exhibition St Vincent's -In the Art of DarlinghurstHanging my exhibition St Vincent's -In the Art of DarlinghurstHanging my exhibition St Vincent's -In the Art of DarlinghurstIn this exhibition I have displayed 16 paintings of Victoria Stree [..] > read more

St Vincent's- In the Art of Darlinghurst

Published on 2012-01-30 03:15:00

My exhibition at St Vincent's Public Hospital Victoria st 2009 oil on canvas 75x100cm $7,700 Enquiries In December 2009 I was asked by some people who worked at St Vincent's if I could create paintings of some terrace houses on a Darlinghurst block adjacent to St Vincent’s Public Hospital. Almost an entire block of Victoria Street between the Garvan Institute and the Green Park Hotel would be replaced by the construction of a new 11-storey medical centre.'Victoria Street mural and the clinic' [..] > read more

Painting the Tugboats of Sydney Harbour - the 'Wilga', 'Wonga' 'Woona' and 'Watagan'

Published on 2011-12-01 18:30:00

Looking for suitable subject matter to paint for the Christmas exhibition at the Frances Keevil Gallery, I couldn't resist the tugs. Now that there are fewer large ships coming in to Sydney Harbour, they are harder to spot.The best opportunities are found when they escort the tankers in and out of Gore Cove, and when the cruise ships come in to Barangaroo. Peak cruise ship season is from October to the end of February, so this means a bumper crop of tugboat paintings.My studio at Moore's Wharf, [..] > read more

Homage to Picasso, Part 2 - Postcards from Picasso

Published on 2011-11-28 13:30:00

The following sketches were all drawn in the Musée National Picasso in 1997 during my Marten Bequest Travelling Art Scholarship. I had run out of paper, so I took some free postcards from the bookshop to record my thoughts.This is the other side of the postcard from the bookshop of the Musée National Picasso.I used the back of these to draw on at first as an act of desperation - I had run out of art materials and money! However, from that time on, whenever I visit an exhibition I now always us [..] > read more

Homage to Picasso Part 1

Published on 2011-11-26 07:08:00

My drawings of the exhibition "Picasso: masterpieces from the Musée National Picasso, Paris" Art Gallery of NSWI dropped off my entry to the Dobell drawing Prize at the Art Gallery of NSW just before the cut-off time on Friday afternoon and had a rare spare couple of hours to myself before the opening of the "Ship to Shore" exhibition at the Mosman Art Gallery.The Art Gallery didn't look too crowded for once so I visited the Picasso exhibition.During my Marten Bequest Travelling Art Scholarshi [..] > read more

Ship to Shore - the 11th annual exhibition by the Australian Society of Marine Artists at Mosman Regional Art Gallery

Published on 2011-11-23 16:33:00

For my submission to the 11th annual art exhibition by the members of the Australian Society of Marine Artists, I decided to enter 2 of my paintings of the drama surrounding the controversial scuttling of the ex HMAS Adelaide off North Avoca Beach in April 2011.The artist painting the ex HMAS Adelaide on Glebe Island wharf 2010"Ex HMAS Adelaide- flag raising at dawn" 2010 oil on canvas 31 x 103cmPainted 'en plein air' on Glebe Island Wharf, 1 year almost to the day before her long awaited depart [..] > read more

Sea no evil? Painting the 'Sea Shepherd' at White Bay

Published on 2011-11-17 16:35:00

The sign of the pirate, the snarling teeth on the bow and the spikes protruding from the helipad. Yes the 'Bob Barker' from Sea Shepherd Australia was in Sydney until Friday.I was there intending to paint the White Bay Transit Shed before its demolition, but the crew of the "Sea Shepherd". who were curious about the "Artist in Residence" on the wharf, challenged me to see if I could paint their ship while they filmed me. I picked up my easel and moved a bit closer to the ship, but out of the wa [..] > read more

The White Shed at White Bay

Published on 2011-11-15 21:17:00

Bailey's Marine Fuels at Berth 6, White BayDemolition of the White Bay Transit shed is soon to commence. Cardinal, who demolished the wharf buildings at East Darling Harbour, have set up in the old canteen at the western end of the shed. I've been told that the gantries on either side of the shed have been heritage listed, but I don't know if they will be retained.White Bay has been confirmed as the site of the new cruise ship terminal.Sydney Ports Corporation owns and manages White Bay Berths 1 [..] > read more

Power Base - Artist in Residence at the White Bay Power Station

Published on 2011-07-04 22:02:00

Starting a new canvas on the site of the now demolished Boiler House 2, White Bay Power Station, Rozelle, Sydney, N.S.W.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 St > read more

Pyrmont : Shadows of the past

Published on 2011-06-03 06:38:00

I'm exhibiting 2 very large tonal drawings of early Pyrmont in a Mixed Exhibition June 13 - July 17 2011 at the Frances Keevil Gallery : See Facebook album of Pyrmont Drawings **P116A "Looking West from the top of the ANZAC bridg > read more

Eveleigh Windows - (Very) Stained Glass Windows Part 3

Published on 2011-05-29 20:18:00

Hidden BeautyE85 Eveleigh Windows 2011 oil on canvas 51x 41cm 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 ca > read more

Eveleigh - (Very) Stained Glass Windows Part 2

Published on 2011-05-25 07:16:00

Flaws in the GlassE84 Eveleigh Windows 2011 mixed media on paper 76x 56cmI 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 > read more

Eveleigh - (Very) Stained Glass Windows Part 1

Published on 2011-05-25 05:34:00

One door closes...Earlier this year renovations started on some parts of the interior and exterior of the Large Erecting Shop at Eveleigh. Soon new wooden doors made to the original pattern and drawings will replace the corrugated iron doors on all > read more

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

Published on 2011-05-10 20:44:00

A Tale of 2 PrizesJust returned to Australia, to find a little box of acrylics, sketch books and other art paraphenalia that had been sitting on my doorstep unnoticed. As well as winning actual money as 2nd prize at the Royal Easter Show, some kind s > read more

A good Korea move : Part 2 "Together in Harmony"

Published on 2011-05-10 06:53:00

The exhibition "Together in Harmony for 50 years",was part of the celebration event for '50 years of Friendship Between Australia and Korea' at the Noori and Arum gallery in the Korea Foundation Cultural Centre in Seoul, Korea. The opening was on 4 - > read more

Ghost ship - ex-HMAS Adelaide at Glebe - Part 2

Published on 2011-04-15 05:10:00

In search of an afterlife HMAS Adelaide was decommissioned in 2008 and prepared for scuttling as a dive wreck during late 2009 and early 2010. Her mast was removed, dangerous materials and toxins were removed, and access holes were cut in the > read more

Ghost ship - ex-HMAS Adelaide at Glebe - Part 1

Published on 2011-04-14 19:43:00

ArrivalEx HMAS Adelaide from Glebe Island 2009 31 x 61cm.A new visitor arrives in September 2009 to Glebe Island wharf. This painting was completed a few days after its unheralded arrival.Action!'Action men' 2009-10 oil on canvas 31x31cm'Action men' > read more

A good Korea move

Published on 2011-03-27 04:01:00

Two Exhibitions in Seoul, Korea I have been invited to exhibit paintings in 2 exhibitions in Seoul, Korea. The exhibition "Together in Harmony" at the Noori and Arum gallery in the Korea Foundation Culture Centre in Seoul, Korea opens 4 -7pm Friday > read more

UPtown Festival 2011

Published on 2011-03-24 06:15:00

The 30th Pyrmont Ultimo FestivalSaturday 19th March 2011 The Pyrmont- Ultimo UPtown Festival 2011 Photo is courtesy of Jeffrey Mellefont, Australian National Maritime Museum.Quarry Green is a charming little park between Quarry St and Bul > read more

A Royal Rendevous- Part 2 Farewell to the Queens

Published on 2011-03-07 04:03:00

Unfinished painting of the Queen Elizabeth at Circular Quay Photo of me starting this painting of the Queen Elizabeth(Photo is courtesy of Callan Back) QE2 The Queen Elizabeth docking at Circular Quay 2011 oil painting on canvas 61x7 > read more

A Royal rendezvous

Published on 2011-02-27 16:37:00

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 rend > read more

Irons in the Fire - Part 5 'Playing with Fire'

Published on 2011-02-26 19:41:00

Paintings of the Blacksmiths at Wrought Artworks,Bay 1/2 Australian Technology Park,Eveleigh Railway WorkshopsLok forging at Wrought Artworks 2010 oil painting on canvas 36 x 46 cmSold It was hard to catch Lok on his own without Dave (who was centre > read more

Irons in the Fire - Part 4 'Strike while the Iron is Hot'

Published on 2011-02-26 19:11:00

Paintings of the Blacksmiths at Wrought Artworks,Bay 1/2 Australian Technology Park,Eveleigh Railway Workshops'Strike while the iron is hot' is a very old proverb, and like the phrase 'irons in the fire' comes directly from blacksmithing. It me > read more

Irons in the Fire - Part 3 'Hot'

Published on 2011-02-26 18:41:00

Paintings of the Blacksmiths at Wrought Artworks,Bay 1/2 Australian Technology Park,Eveleigh Railway WorkshopsThe phrase 'iron in the fire' refers to an undertaking or project in progress. The phrase 'several irons in the fire' refers to a number of > read more

Irons in the fire - Part 2

Published on 2011-02-26 05:07:00

Painting the Blacksmiths at Wrought Artworks,Bay 1/2 Eveleigh Railway WorkshopsStarting the new canvas'Chris at the Massey Air Hammer' 2011 unfinished oil painting on canvas 36 x 46 cmPrivate Collection : SydneySoldArt versus life!'Chris at the Masse > read more

Irons in the Fire - Part 1 'Smith Forging'

Published on 2011-02-26 04:59:00

Painting the Blacksmiths at Wrought Artworks,Bay 1/2, Australian Technology Park, Eveleigh Railway WorkshopsThis is the first of 6 posts showing canvases painted from life during a forging. Painting a 'forging' at Wrought Artworks, Eveleigh Rai > read more

A Tall Ship and a Lightship

Published on 2011-02-06 03:44:00

The CLS 4 Carpentaria, unmanned lightshipStarting a new canvas of the lightship 'Carpentaria' with the James Craig behind it A lightship is a ship acting as a floating lighthouse to aid navigation and warn ships of hazards. Lightships anchor in > read more

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

Published on 2011-02-03 05:55:00

'The ship parade Australia Day 2011 Darling Harbour oil painting on canvas 31 x 61cm unfinished plein air paintingEnquiries about this painting By about 4 I had started to move from the Endeavour jetty down to the pontoon in Darling Harb > read more

Australia Day 2011 at Darling Harbour Part 1: Endeavour

Published on 2011-02-03 04:18:00

Endeavour**Noun1. endeavour - a purposeful or industrious undertaking (especially one that requires effort or boldness)2.endeavour - earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something3.endeavour - an eff > read more

Tugs, barges and Tall ships

Published on 2011-01-09 17:42:00

Glebe Island, Jackson's Landing and White Bay'The tug 'Edi' at Glebe Island' 2010 oil painting on canvas 31 x 41cm This tug escorted the OES barge to White Bay and then to Port Botany, where it is laying cables.This canvas was painted at Glebe Island > read more

Two Ships in dock

Published on 2011-01-09 04:40:00

Painting the 'Pacific Jewel' and the ex-HMAS Adelaide' at Glebe Island dock 1 1.The area of water between two piers or alongside a pier that receives a ship for loading, unloading, or repairs.dock 2 1. To clip short or cu > read more

My paintings in the Xmas Exhibition at Camden Fine Art Gallery :

Published on 2010-12-13 17:25:00

My Paintings for sale in 'Sydney Harbour and Country Links'My Paintings will be for sale in the annual Xmas exhibition at Camden Civic Centre (Undercroft), Oxley Street, Camden, on 14-18 December 2010. Other exhibitors include Je > read more

My Exhibition at the Eveleigh Field Day

Published on 2010-12-12 03:19:00

Exhibition of my paintings of Eveleigh Railway Workshops in Bay 1/2 Australian Technology Park on Saturday 30th October 2010'Wrought Artworks' Field Day October 30th' 2010 oil on canvas 41 x 51 cm Enquiries about this paintingGuido Gouvern > read more

Recently Sold Paintings : Pyrmont Paintings at Workplace 6

Published on 2010-11-29 19:31:00

Pyrmont Panorama : Union Square from the Roof of Pyrmont Power Station 1993 oil 91 x 122cm SOLDThis canvas was from one of my favourite studios - in Pyrmont the roof of the old Pyrmont Power Station. Many of my paintings concentrate > read more

My Paintings at Sydney Open- Part 2

Published on 2010-11-27 03:04:00

My exhibition of Pyrmont paintings at 'Workplace6'Easel on left:above: 'R.E.V.Y. from the top of the Elcom building' 1991 oil on board 31 x 25cmcentre:'Pyrmont Goods Yard and Miller's Point from the roof of the Pyrmont Power Station' 1993 oil on canv > read more

My Paintings at the Sydney Open : Part 1

Published on 2010-11-24 16:00:00

My exhibition: "From the Hungry Mile to Barangaroo"Foyer of LendLease 30,'The Bond', 30 Hickson Road, Millers Point Paintings of Barangaroo at Sydney Open - 30, The BondFrom left to right: easel on left: top : 'Relics from the Dead House 2' 2007 > read more

Beyond the Sea

Published on 2010-11-17 05:45:00

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 - 8pmWharf 7, Pirrama Road, Pyrmont 2009Opening night a > read more