'Carrington Beach'
Carrington, an industrial inner-city wharf site mud flat island built up from the ballast from sailing ships, was my home for over 20 years.
Throsby creek, a concreted dead waterway threading its way through the industrial heavy steel town of Newcastle, emerged into Newcastle harbor, separating Carrington from the city, crossed over by a little wooden bridge. The locals called it “Carrington Beach” mockingly; and the older residents remembered how as children it was their beach and they swam and frolicked.
At the time I painted it Carrington was a notorious place, an industrial wasteland, typically old time working class, but enough was enough and a residents committee was formed, I being one of the founding members, to fight for environment improvements.
This mercury and lead polluted site was a dumping ground for industrial and urban waste, and sited by the state government for another landfill and heavy industry workshop.
Well, we won the battle and today this site is cleaned up housing fish markets and a marina feature. There is even a pretty new bridge. The character has changed but the old housing stock has remained.
B.H.P steel has closed down and yes, it is undergoing gentrification and the kids swim again at Carrington Beach.
I love to use my Skills to relate and portray multi-layered visual stories. My range of mediums and practice's with examples of my work are displayed throughout this site. Murals are my speciality. Figurative work, genre, landscape, natural and industrial. Large scale paintings. Trade Union banners. Enduring environmental art-design - Conceptualized and site specific community based art work - Paintings - Portraits, public, family, business and community stories.Collaborative team work. Being a supervising artist on Public art projects.Hand painted ceramic tile murals.I am able to work to the design brief and budget constraints when working with clients,communities,architects and interior designers.I have renovated 4 houses incorporating various paint techniques,ceramic tiles,door features,color co-ordination, murals outdoors,ceilings,walls. Mural consultancies, working with communities vie the Internet,helping with design,mural elements and fabrication techniques while the client works with their own artists to produce the mural on site is a new service. Adult+children's art classes are now on.
All images and stories by Birgitte Hansen are copyright
