Paddlesteamer 'Rodney'

This painting was a commission the artist received during an eight weekpainting trip along the Murray River to Coober Pedy encompassing theMurrumbidgee River and a side trip from the junction of the Murray andDarling Rivers to Pooncarie (on the Darling) in western New South Wales.

- Graham W. Smith

The subject is the Paddle steamer ‘Rodney’ which rests on the bottom of the Darling River on the property of the homestead ‘Polia’, around 30 kilometres north-west of the ‘Port of Pooncaria’. In 1894, the ‘Rodney’ was bringing non-union shearers upriver to ‘Tolarno’ (a property 70 kilometres upstream of Pooncarie), when it was intercepted by striking shearers who burned it to the waterline.

All that remains is the keelson, stringers and ribs protruding skywards like a gaunt skeleton that has been almost fossilised.

The client downloaded an A4 image from his computer. After I outlined my approach, size and quotation, the client not only paid a deposit, but also purchased two of my plein air paintings (the junction of the Murray and Darling Rivers at Went worth, and a Murray River Gum). The painting was to be completed within three weeks of my return to Brisbane in early May 2010.

Due to the recent heavy rain, the road was closed … so I couldn’t do an on-site painting (which I would have preferred to do, prior to doing the commission).

STEP ONE

The outline was drafted up in pencil on 12 ounce poly cotton canvas that had been primed with two coats of Atelier Gesso Primer.

STEP TWO