Painting: Cargo Hoist

Introduction

Cargo Hoist (final painting)

 

In January as I walked along the River Hull and passed Drypool Bridge, I headed for the mouth of the river where it meets the Humber Estuary. I soon came across some old warehouses outlined against the sky with an old cargo hoist silhouetted against the morning light.

In days gone by, warehouses would have stretched along both banks of the River Hull, ready to house the multitude of goods arriving in the ships from all over the world. As workers busied themselves with unloading the cargo, mechanisms were put in place to assist with heavy loads. Some of these original buildings, hoists and cranes can still be seen along the River's edge.

 For lifting heavy weights you need a hoist or crane. Hoists were (and are) used on the outside of warehouses feeding outside doors at the various floors. When the load had been hoisted to the top, or relevant floor,  it could be pulled inside. 

Some hoists resemble small cranes bolted to the outside wall of a building. These are the ones more usually associated with warehouses as seen in the picture. Often hoists had no gearing at all, just a simple pulley and a rope - as most loads were originally designed to be man-handled. A set of block and tackle increased the load which could be lifted - although this slowed the job down.

I was struck by the bold outline of the structure and its working mechanism. I conjured up a vision of the sight, sounds and smell of the bustling quayside, which seem a distant memory.

Then, as I looked down the river I saw the contrasting sight of modern architecture and engineering  - the Hull Tidal Surge Barrier, a glimpse of The Deep and the Scale Lane footbridge.

I soaked up the atmosphere and decided that I must capture the scene and my thoughts on canvas.

Process

I do not usually draw in pencil on a canvas. In the past I have found that the graphite does not mix well with the oil paint and makes it "dirty". However, with this image I was concerned about getting the mechanism technically correct, and it was important to get a clear silhouette. I therefore, on this occasion, did an initial sketch in pencil.

Initial sketch with pencil (detail)

I then proceeded to continue painting the silhouette of the hoist and started the rest of the image. In between stage 1 and stage 2 I re-visited the site to remind myself of more of the details of the site.  I had struggled with both the foreground and the background. I simplified the shapes and it seemed to work better.

 

I then mixed a dark red colour for the outside brickwork of the warehouse. It was darker to the right of the painting which was in shadow. I also simplified the walkway and the metal fence at the corner. At this point I felt that the composition was unbalanced. The sky on my first visit was lit by a low morning sun, which I proceeded to re-create.

 

 

The final touches were to add the buddleia growing from between the bricks of the warehouse wall and some small weeds at the foot of the wall. I used some old buddleia heads from the garden as a guide to provide detail and authenticity. Again, the buddleia was in silhouette or shadow which emphasises its outline.

 

 

Summary

 

I have considered whether I have managed to achieve what I set out to do. The hoist dominates and is clearly silhouetted against the morning sky. Details such as the light on the wall, the doorways and windows add to the visual impact and concept of a by-gone industry. I think that the simplified shapes( both in the foreground and background) work better than trying to reproduce an exact replica. By working in this way I open up the scope to play with negative space - which gives the eye the opportunity to fill in the voids. using the same restricted palette the colours I mixed add to the atmosphere and character of the work. I believe that the final work gives the viewer plenty to think about, with good visual impact.