Piece of the Week: ‘Hart’s Mill West’ by David Kennett

This week’s Piece of the Week comes loaded with a historical backstory. Hart’s Mill was an old mill in Adelaide, Australia, named after former South Australian premier John Hart. The mill produced flour and the heritage listed site is a cultural space for festivals, now earmarked for residential development. This sense of history is present in David Kennett‘s stoic rendering of this powerhouse of industry. David hand-drew this on site, observing the former mill in its giant grace. David’s portfolio is filled with meticulous drawings which capture the spirit of the effect of places on people and their majestic, formidable powers.

How we remember a place through drawing is a key question Kennett returns to throughout his portfolio. The intersection between fact, and the way the architecture actually exists, met with the aesthetic choices he makes creates an atmosphere of detached wonder. In “Hart’s Mill West” he positions himself, and in turn the viewer far away across the water from the subject of his drawing.

It’s also apt to note David’s use of color as an expressive guide in “Hart’s Mill West.” Beautiful grey skies indicate that colors function as emotion like instructions on a map.

When rendering a real place, choices like palette have set the tone effortlessly. The gritty pavement and bare streetlights bring a wonderful insight into David’s representation of urban decay and forgotten histories.

We love  “Hart’s Mill West” for its creative expression of a dry historical building and emotive representation of colonial Australia. You can purchase it as a print, throw pillow, tote bag, or more by clicking here.

What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments below.