Featured Artist for December 1998

Featured GiveAway by William H. Hall Prince Rupert Harbour 24" x 36" - 1997 Oil on Canvas Valued at $1500

Dr. J. B. Davidson Tucson, Arizona

Hannibal seized the moment at British Columbia's Prince Rupert Harbour. He openly illustrates the location's natural beauty and captures the harbour's remarkable quietude, including portrayal of his subject's marine atmosphere. His emphasis of cool colors and values permeate the canvas' air while stimulating dampness for the viewer.

MEET THE ARTIST

Featured Artist William H. Hall (Hannibal)

William H. Hall (also known as Hannibal) was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on August 9th, 1943. He currently works out of his studio and resides on the outskirts of Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada. His background is from a dysfunctional family, so details of his early family life are far and few between. He was raised as a ward of the government and funded his university schooling primarily with custom oil painting and wall murals. Creative genes have been passed to and from Hannibal; his mother was exceptionally skilled in art, as is his daughter. Hannibal himself has been active in the visual arts since adolescence, as his childhood works stood at the “top of the class”. He has always felt a strong inclination towards drawing objects like ships and trains. Primarily self taught in art, Hannibal has taken occasional formal training to sharpen certain skills.

Hannibal enrolled in courses years ago at Alberta College of Edmonton and has taken extensive training in CAD (Usually 3D). He is a biologist by trade and a former Canadian Army Officer. His preferred media is oil and his paintings usually take 40-60 hours to complete. He creates about one painting each week. He's been painting and cartooning for 30 years and his oils and acrylics have been used for traditional "living room" viewing, usually on a commission basis. In addition, his military scenes adorn the walls of many military clubs and associations throughout the world. In recent years, however, he's wanted to paint more non-military subjects -- hence the cars, trains and other subjects.

Bill is an active member of the Federation of Canadian Artists which is the professional artists association in Canada known as the FCA. He relies on his Web Site so others can contact him and he's really kept busy with steady traffic and commissions. All of his art is pleasing, and with modest prices listed with his work, one can see why he focuses on online commissions rather than actual exhibitions.

 

Kettle Valley Train is a beautiful painting that shows a past era when the powerful steam locomotives pulled freight and passengers from British Columbia's interior coast, over a railway called the "Kettle Valley". Today, nothing is left but a few road-beds. Hannibal took his canvas to the site, and painted the background first on a rainy spring day. He then used an old photograph to add the locomotive. At night, when the lights are off, he's added a spark of interest: "Glow-in-the-dark" paint, on the lamp of the engine.

Kettle Valley Train, 1996 24" x 36", Oil on Canvas, Framed, $2000

As for his military background, it's interesting how one can go from a rigidly disciplined area to the freedom expressed in his art. In his actual heart of hearts, Hannibal appreciates the beautiful world we live in; mankind's outstanding history and invented machines which he illustrates. He says that during this past century, "Few artists seem to want to illustrate this in any accurate way." His military assignments and personal travels have taken him to Europe, Russia, and Central Africa, giving him an abundance of material to explain through his work.  


 

The War is Over, 1995 24" x 36", Oil on Canvas Framed, $1500

The War Is Over shows B-17's that were used as daylight bombers, thoroughly engaged when hostilities ended in 1945. In a magazine story illustration assigned to him, he created a work about an American bomber pilot, who upon hearing the news, was ordered to still finish his mission. Instead, he opted to return to England without dropping bombs. As he flew back over lake Constantine (Switzerland), a chance encounter unfolded with a Focke Wulf. Both the German pilot and the Americans kept their hands off the guns, actually waved(!) and went home. The war was over.

Hannibal finds beauty everywhere. Not just in nature, but in the power of man’s creations. He's inspired by how man has used his skill to create machines. Events in history fascinate him as well, particularly those of this past century. He feels a need to depict this fascination through his work and hopes that in the next century, his work will survive in order to show our lives and inventions of the 20th century. He does most of his drawing and lay-in’s in the morning and continues more detailed painting in the evening. He often paints until the wee hours of morning and finds himself still working when the sun comes up.

Being alive and healthy in this most exciting time makes Hannibal tick. So does pure Maslow; recognition and his own imagination. He's clearly aware of his surroundings and tries to take advantage of them when at all possible. He loves good books, music and of course, painting. On the other hand, he's not fond of negative people and violence.

John Paul Jones is a famous scene from the British/American war. It is based on the statement: "I've just begun to fight..." Hannibal believes that few battles have had more of an impact on North American history. This work was painted from a copy of a small pencil sketch that he saw in a magazine years ago and is created in hue's of gold and framed beautifully. Upon close viewing, one can practically feel a breeze beneath the sails.

John Paul Jones, 1997 36" x 48", Oil on Canvas Framed, $2000

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Hannibal also works as a field business manager in the bioscience industry, looking after their interests in Western Canada and Ontario. This actually works well for him because when using oils, his days away from home allow the current painting to dry so he can continue as soon as he returns. It also explains why he stays up all night: so he can work with the same values before he has to leave it. Hannibal creates his work mainly for commissions and assignments and in spite of this not being his "day-job," he considers himself a professional artist above all.

There are many things in addition to painting that Hannibal says is more of an enjoyable compulsion. Singing is one of them; he sings bass in a 100 voice community choir. He's also a grandfather in his mid-50s who enjoys rendering 3D subjects and frame by frame animation using the PC. Running his online site and collecting antique watches also bring him fulfillment.

 

Old Cadillac in Woods is a beautiful example of 1950's auto-art and was found just as it appears, on an Indian reservation in Northern BC. How in the world did it ever get there with no paved highways for hundreds of miles?! Well, as Hannibal says... "Here it is...on old yet still beautiful car. Where's she been? What journey has she been on? Well, now she sits quietly in the woods, waiting for you to find her." He often hikes in remote areas looking for old cars, trucks and equipment to illustrate. He emphasizes the car's tint against the dull green foliage and says those flowers were actually there. Effects laid on its windshield probe the viewer for a second look.

Old Cadillac in Woods, 1996 24" x 30", Oil and acrylic on canvas board, framed, $1000

His studio overlooks the actively beautiful Fraser River where he works in oil, acrylics and air-brush, when he desires exceptionally vivid and realistic paintings. His present subjects include historical scenes that are typically military; ships, automobiles, trains and aircraft. A somewhat unique feature of Bill's painting is his use of light and shadows to enhance the 3D effect. He uses the "Z-Axis" to bring the viewer into his pictures. Many of his original paintings also glow in the dark from use of a special paint. His work has been used for magazine and story illustration and it's not uncommon to see his paintings hanging in military clubs and mess halls. Hannibal uses only the highest quality materials in his work and commercially stretched canvas. All of his paintings are professionally framed upon completion.
 
 

Hindenberg & The Ghost illustrates how very large an Airship she was ! Of the 97 passengers on board, 62 survived the mishap. Hannibal has recorded all the factors in effect on that fateful day, including what must have been a guardian angel, because the entire event took only a bit more than one minute. A considerable factor while looking at the picture is that the Hindenberg was longer than the Titanic and filled with explosive gas. This work was submitted as a story illustration that Hannibal regrets to say was not accepted. The publisher chose to use another (where the ship had ignited) though he prefers this one. The Hindenberg was an object of beauty and a milestone of 20th century aviation.

Hindenberg & the Ghost, 1994 24" x 36", Oil on Canvas Framed, $1500

 
 

Contact the Artist

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THE ARTIST'S STATEMENT

Sometimes the world seems as if it belongs to me. I am a product of it and my environment together. At those moments, I create landscapes, seascapes and the like. However at other times, I feel my existence in this universe is only momentary. I’m a bit-player in the over-all scheme of things. I am truly impressed with the history of Man. Particularly as he coped with, and changed His own environment, his machines, his weapons. That’s when I will create the historical scenes. I particularly like the 20th century - and of that, the war years: 1914 -1918 and 1939 -1945. I will spend a lot of time doing research into the actual events the painting will illustrate, even down to the weather. I will try to speak to people who were actually there. (At times, it is their own commission that I'm creating). But whatever the motive of my work, I realize that a beautiful painting will confer some immortality on me. A good illustration will survive for centuries. That’s my legacy I suppose. I can leave something beautiful. Thank you for looking at my work. ~ William H. Hall