Dawn till Dusk

Moving to Balmain, NSW, Manning continued painting in a long thin format to encompass a wide vista. Drawn to abandoned industrial sites around Sydney Harbour Wharves and Pyrmont, she slipped through holes in fencing or negotiated access with building firms. The artist found her subjects were often subsequently demolished or ‘renovated’.

‘Walsh Bay Pier Six.’ was a finalist in The Wynne 1994 art prize for landscape at the Art Gallery of NSW.

Having established and run Cameron Street Studio as an exhibition space for contemporary artists from 1992-94 it was not until 1994 that Manning held her own solo exhibition, ‘Dawn till Dusk,’ in the space. This comprised Sydney landscapes mainly from the local area of Balmain, Birchgrove, Rozelle and Pyrmont. Manning was now painting the same sites at different times of the day. Predominately still long and thin, particularly striking is the fact that many were painted at sunset, dusk or at night. Locals became accustomed to seeing the artist working beneath lamp posts in the dead of night.