Brisbane City Sketchers on the river

Biomechanical Pelicans sculpture created by Christopher Trotter in 1995.

These pelicans are made from found metal from all sorts of things, machinery of all kinds. Christopher Trotter is a prominent local metal artist. They sit upon an historic pylon from the early days when the river was a thriving shipping trade.  This was in the 1860s All along kangaroo Point Cliffs there were wharves for the ships.

In the early 1860s the river was not deep enough for these big sailing and steam ships to enter up river, so it was dredged.  The dredging was extensive, and changed the river considerably.  They had to dredge all the way up to Brisbane Town, no mean feat in those days.  It took many, many years to dredge the river to make it deep enough for the big ships, and when it was suitable of course wharves were needed.

The history of wharves along the Brisbane River can be categorised into a number of stages:
Stage One - A tree trunk at South Brisbane to which ships were moored in the 1840s.
Stage Two - The erection of wharves for commerce. These eventually extended along the river bank at South Brisbane (eg. South Brisbane Coal Wharves), along the Town Reach to Customs House and then downstream along the Bulimba Reach to Breakfast Creek.

Stage Three - The opening of a dock and the further development of docks. This did not occur in the Brisbane River as the river is not wide enough for ships to swing into transverse berths at jetty peninsulas.
Stage Four - Specialised quayage developed early in the river's history, with some examples as follows: New Farm Sugar Refinery Wharf (1893), Pinkenba Wharf for meat exports (1902), Amoco and Ampol Oil Terminals and more recently, the specialised facilities for the Port of Brisbane at the mouth of the river.

The largest ship built on the river was the Robert Miller, a 66,000 tonne vessel.

From 1862 the Brisbane River has been dredged for navigation purposes. The river served as an important carriageway between Brisbane and Ipswich before a railway linking the towns was built in 1875. By the late 1920s, water quality in the river had significantly deteriorated. Dredging was banned in the river in 1967.

Sketched in my 6" x 8" handmade sketchbook with mechanical pencil and watercolour.

BRISBANE CITY SKETCHERS

South Brisbane with the Brisbane City Sketchers

What a glorious winters morning.  I sketched with friends in a historic part of South Brisbane, the "Town Hall" (The building is now part of Somerville House Girls School)

South Brisbane Municipal Hall is a magnificent building, with working clock tower and gargoyles.  In 1891, work commenced on the construction of the town hall. The building was officially opened on 1 July 1892   Although it was widely known as the "Town Hall", it was officially the South Brisbane Municipal Chambers. 
The builder was Abraham James,
Building commenced in January 1891. Work proceeded for six months, when the contractor developed financial difficulties. he lost his contract and the following tradesmen finished the work.

• Messrs John Stuart & Co won the tender for the stonework, brickwork, carpentry and joining work
• Mr John Campbell for the plasterwork
• Mr James Kay for the plumbing and gasfitting
• Messrs James Lang & Co for painting and glazing, while Messrs Exton and Gough continued as the providers of leadlights

The building was predominantly constructed from red Coorparoo and Waterstown bricks (without any alteration of natural colour). The brown and white sandstone facings are used in the entrance and exterior walls were supplied from Pearson's Quarry at Helidon. The exterior decoration used terracotta panelling (also in its natural colour) supplied by James Campbell & Sons of Albion. Ribbed galvanised iron was used for the roof.
I tell you this because, the building looks as magnificent today, as when it was first built. the building style is Italianate Classic Revival

 

 

I love this building below, it is so elegant.  The South Brisbane Municipal Library was designed by Francis Drummond Greville Stanley and built from 1881 to 1902 by W Macfarlane. This complex is composed of three structures built at different times in response to different needs: the South Brisbane Post Office (1881); the South Brisbane Municipal Library (1897); and the City Concert Hall (1902)

It is also known as South Brisbane School of Arts, South Brisbane Mechanics Institute, South Brisbane Technical College, and South Brisbane Post & Telegraph Office. It is now the Griffith University Film School.

 

Both these buildings are listed on the Heritage register.

Sketched in my handmade 8" x 6" sketchbook 90lb paper

Pen and Watercolour

Brisbane City Sketchers in South Brisbane

St Mary's Catholic Church South Brisbane, with the Brisbane City Sketchers.
The current church at St Mary’s was blessed and opened on 2nd July 1893. It replaced the first St Mary’s – a small wooden church built on the site of the present car park around 1864. Designed by architects George Simkin and John Ibler and built by Woollam and Norman between from 1892 to 1929
The style of the church, which combines Romanesque and Renaissance revival elements, was not common at the time as most nineteenth century churches were designed in the Gothic revival style.
Sketched in my handmade 8.5" x 7" sketchbook Pen and watercolour.

 

Brisbane City Sketchers in South Brisbane

We sketched Historical Clarence Corner this morning in Stanley Street.   Stanley Street was named after Frederick Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby, the United Kingdom's Colonial Secretary, 1885-1886.

I sat outside the Clarence Corner Hotel, now known as the Brew House. The Hotel was named after 500-ton steamship Clarence that plied between Brisbane and Sydney at that time. by builder Thomas Hayselden.  The hotel obtained its licence on 8 December 1863
Clarence Corner was Brisbanes first Township, and it was quite a large one. In 1893 a devastating flood forced most of the retailers across river to Queen Street.

 

The cream building is Maggee Draper Emporium formerly Murray and Magee Coupon Drapers.
The black building is Robert Lenehan’s pharmacy at Clarence Corner in 1915.
Sketched in my handmade 8" x 6.5" 90lb sketchbook. Graphite - Lamy pen - Watercolour.

Controversial Artworks

Today, I sketched with the Brisbane City Sketchers at the Queensland Supreme Courts Precinct.  There were three of us today, braving the sharp cool wind, enjoying the sunshine, and thanking our lucky stars that the Coffee Club had their heaters going.

I started a new sketchbook today, one gifted to me by my friend Liane.  It is 90lb paper maybe a little lighter even, 8.5" x 6"

This three-storied brick department store building was erected in several stages between 1912 and 1963, for the Brisbane firm of McDonnell & East Ltd. McDonnell & East Ltd were established as a firm of importers, cash drapers, tailors, outfitters, dressmakers and milliners. About 1908, Jack McDonnell and Fraser and Harry East, sons of the founders, entered the firm.
The George Street Post Office was located in the McDonnell & East Ltd building from 27 July 1931 until 28 September 1990
In late 2005, the building was bought by De Martini and John Fletcher Properties Group and Rohrig Constructions for $8.38 million. It was redeveloped with retail spaces fronting George Street and Tank Street, and office space throughout the remainder of the building.

 Fiona Foley Witnessing to Silence 2004
The installation consists of a water feature of cast bronze lotus lilies, stainless steel columns embedded with ash in laminated glass, and etched place names in granite pavers. During the planning phases Foley intimated that the work referred to Australian bush fires and floods. Once the work was in place, however, she revealed to The Australian that this piece was actually a memorial to the many massacres of Aboriginal people which had taken place, during the colonial settlement and expansion of Queensland in the early 19th Century. There are names engraved in paver, 94 names, that are the places of the massacres.
A trenchant critic of colonial policies and practices, Foley employs a number of artistic strategies to convey her political themes.
Witnessing to Silence as a public installation acts as a memorial to those massacred in the state of Queensland. Remnants of cultural practice are also suggested through the use of symbols. The element of fire and water belie the common practice of covering up the evidence by getting rid of the bodies.