Patea Freezing Works paintings – Ruined II

Here is the second in the series of works based on the derelict Patea Freezing Works. The works closed in 1982 and that closure had a huge impact on the town. I know from personal experience; my dad owned a grocery store and the closure changed Mum and Dad’s lives forever. They owned the building, as well as they actual business, and had always seen the property as their retirement plan – but of course after the closure the building was pretty much worthless. Many people walked away form their homes, others sold them for a few hundred dollars, while a few daring souls packed their bags and moved their houses with them.

Time has moved on and the works have sat unused for 20 plus years. Time itself, and the work of vandals and copper thieves, has impacted on the structures and they had become quite unsafe. Then in February 2008 someone set fire to the works, but more on that in another post. The freezing works buildings are being demolished even as I type. The whole demolition process will take 6 months, and I’m taking photos throughout that time.

Speaking of photos, my thanks to local photographer Phu Tran, whose work can be seen here. He has graciously agreed to let me use his freezing works images as reference material for some paintings. I am deeply grateful for his generosity, and in awe of his ability with a camera.

This work, as with the previous one, is 16×16″ in acrylics on gallery wrap canvas. It is based on my memory of how the land and the buildings have combined over time as the buildings have eroded – they have become one, with the buildings sinking back into the earth, and the grasses and trees growing up through the ruins.