"The Annandale Painting" (Original painting)

"The Annandale" (Original painting)

One original painting only available. This is the one-off original painting on which all the subsequent Annandale prints are based. There will never be another one of these.

Welcome to my "Pub Painting Project" - paintings of iconic band pubs in Australia. Having spent innumerable nights haunting the legendary band pubs of Sydney - the likes of the Hopetoun, the Landsdowne, the Sandringham, the Annandale etc - carving indelible memories and in many ways shaping me as a person, it struck me to do some paintings which touched on those days and memories.

Many of us hold these places very dearly and they’re etched in our hearts as the places of great moments, great experiences, great loves, great days of our lives. The Annandale was a shining icon of alternative music right on Parramatta Rd, forming the staging ground for many epic bands to launch their careers, with many of us spending way too many occasions deep into the night with the music ringing in our ears and our feet stuck to the carpet.

I’ve painted these paintings with the idea that we don’t specifically remember the physical structure as it is or was exactly, more that there is an echo in our minds about what those places looked and felt like. I feel these paintings are almost slightly dreamscape in their representation, slightly ephemeral, but with enough concrete details which anchor the sense of place. And further, I have taken the liberty of crafting my own imaginary lineups at each pub. And I’ve chosen bands which I associate with that particular pub and whom I saw at that pub.

You Am I are one of the most iconic bands to emerge from the Sydney music scene in the 1990s. From their incendiary early shows which literally blew people away, through to their taking on bigger and bigger stages, and taking on the world. They were loved by those of us who saw them early and remain so, their early albums being landmark releases in Australian "alternative" music. I saw them numerous times at the Annandale and they are obvious choices for selection on my depiction of the pub in this painting

Smudge are also a significant band to play there, part of the nearby Glebe-based Half a Cow label, and one of the most important bands to emerge from Sydney in the 90s. Led by Tom Morgan, with the legendary Alison Galloway on drums and Adam Yee on bass in their classic line-up, they trademarked a Sydney sound of clever and infectious guitar pop, still beloved by many the world over

The Welcome Mat were something of a forgotten band of the era in a wider sense, but were certainly a massive key Sydney band of the early 1990s. With core members such as Wayne Connolly and Leo Mullins, among several notable names, they were a shining example of loud, catchy guitar pop, endless cool songs and a sound that simply shone from stage - a must-see any time they played, and certainly at the Annandale.

With the sturdy oak frame, these paintings can be hung on a wall or be freestanding on a bench or table etc. All of these come with wire hanging set-up on the back.

*NB. This is a hand-painted/hand-made work. Marks, fades, scuffs, irregularities are all part of the process. I am not striving for "perfection" - I hope you get my drift, with the beauty in the texture/tactile sense...25cm x 25cm - canvas size

28cm x 28cm - including frame
5.5cm deep
Acrylic on triple-primed canvas in hand-finished oak frame.
Ready-to-hang with wire on back