Purple Iris

Painted in my front studio from life last Spring, this pale purple iris was from our yard, I believe. I love these flowers and go out of my way on my walks with the dog to visit them as they bloom around the neighborhood. Our house has two honey bee hives up high in the front columns, so I feel a bit more connected to the neighborhood blossoms.

One of the things I love about iris is the way they curl and shrink as parts die down and new flowers come on. The co-mingling of new and old, the living and the dead, both on one green tubular stem is something to note. I wish they would last longer, but fortunately, where I live, there is almost always something beautiful to observe and appreciate. And at least I do notice these temporal gifts, even if I don't always get it on paper or canvas.

I will try today to step into some new painting project, but I am so close to finishing my Wilmington pastel --I may just devote all my time at the easel to that. I'll post it here as soon as I have it signed and can scan it.

Hope Plantation, Windsor, NC

Hope Plantation in Windsor, NC is the restored home of former NC Governor David Stone. The mansion in this pastel was built in 1803.

The holidays are a great time to visit Hope Plantation as the buildings are wonderfully decorated with natural materials such as holly, beeswax, and all sorts of native plants. A few years ago, my wife and I joined part of the decorating team to learn a few things -my wife, Antoinette, working alongside Betsy Overton. I made my way outside and painted this pastel before the sun was completely set.

For those who have never painted in this way I recommend you try it very soon. As an artist invests in a subject and observes it over a brief span of time, it is truly amazing what one sees as the light shifts and fades, comes and goes over different areas --things you would normally miss in the quick movement we generally make in our lives. Working fast helps an artist, and being able to remember what one sees is a great asset as a subject such as this old house and trees will slide into a completely alternate look in just about no time.

When you visit Hope Plantation, stop and view the Hope House across the lawn from the older 1763 King-Bazemore House, where you will find a view like this I painted in 2007

Rouse Farm Crossroads

This is a scene on the Rouse Farm, just out of Snow Hill on Highway 13. A plein air pastel. One of several made that day.

Steamer Neuse

The Steamer Neuse operated from New Bern to Washington, NC in the days before public ferry systems, bridges, and decent roadways. Having sailed much of the Neuse River I can appreciate how long it must have taken and what some of those trips would have felt like as the river is very wide and can fetch up some nice sized swells. While a pain for frequent travelers it must have been an exciting trip for the infrequent passengers and children. For those of us living in the 21st century (and you know there are some who are not), a steamer trip like this would have been much too long and dull. But what a great little journey for reading or snoozing, or just watching the shore line and sky. I like to imagine how ships appeared at night.

I'm posting older works as I'm in the middle of a 30 X 40 inch illustration of the Steeples and Spires of Wilmington, NC. I should have that finished in a few days and will have time to apply myself to more daily painting, which is something I'm longing to do and have been wanting to do for some time.

The Giraffes of Bentonville

Years ago I served a church in the country near the Bentonville Battlefied. Just north of the Museum and Battleground were these silos --they are gone now. Fortunately I photographed them just weeks before they were torn down. I always saw the shapes of giraffes from the rusty doors and the pipes and motors. When I pointed them out to my kids or other people they said, "Oh yeah!"

The oil original is no longer available but reproductions on canvas will be coming soon. I believe they are about 24" square.

Off Highway 13 / Snow Hill

Working on location a few years ago just west of Snow Hill, I was painting sheep that were in a field opposite this view, but the road and greenhouse behind me made for an interesting composition so I gave in and painted this study next. This greenhouse is still there but the sheep are gone now, replaced by turkey barns, and I haven't wanted to return to this location. The sheep were always nice to see. I'm going to have to find another herd. Click here for a Google map to 35.455528,-77.714050

I'm always attracted to paths and roads. The path tugs for our movement and exploration. Old wooden barns get a lot of attention, but new structures, even plastic sheathed barns like these might get some notice --especially against interesting skies.

This oil painting is small 5"X 7", with my JHA monogram, not dated (circa 2007), matted with a single white mat at 12"X 14".

Hope of Spring Magnolia

This lovely blossom greeted me a year and half ago at the NCSU Arboretum in Raleigh. Not much was in blossom but Magnolia Biondi, an early blooming (-10°F, USDA Zones 6-8) welcome sight. This is a sweet small pastel on paper (100% cotton), image size about 3 x 4 inches, with a simple white single mat measuring 8 X 10 outside dimensions, I gently wrote in pencil on the mat just below the opening, "the Hope of Spring Magnolia / Magnola Biondi". Unframed. Signed John H. Anglin 2008 in pencil. I'll miss it.

Turning Dogwoods

My yard is changing fast --the leaves fading quickly! These dogwood leaves are now either red or on the ground. I painted them live last week, standing in the backyard of Sarahurst, the house we live it at Kinston. I don't remember a more beautiful year for our dogwoods --in the spring it seemed the blossoms were around for almost a month and remained nice looking shapes and great color for week after week. Now, at the end of the year they are continuing to show well with lots of red berries and great leaves. Against the blue sky the sight is arresting, as you probably know and can appreciate if you've been watching your own yard and neighborhoods for the changing colors.

Actually, it was the poison ivy leaves that I should have painted --they were a dark cadmium red and now, after a little rain, are all gone. Next year!

I'll try to capture these dogwoods once more before they are all gone.





These are both oil on linen, painted late October 2009 from life. The painting at the top is 5.25 wide X 5.75 high, and the one above is 5.75 wide x 5 high. Both are monogrammed JHA --no date visible. Will be sold as a set via Ebay Auctions.

Twilight Skipjack

Inspired by my time with the ADA MAE, a 1914 North Carolina skipjack, restored and in use with Carolina Coastal Classrooms out of New Bern, I made this little oil painting. You can see my pastel of the Ada Mae on the skipjack page of the CCC website.

Carolina Coastal Classrooms is a great project which I'm proud to be a small part of with website and graphic design assistance. We've made a few videos at YouTube, but now with HD our plan is to make great strides with video in the coming year (we'll resolve the sound issues, too).

Ada Mae will get pulled soon for repairs, including work on varnishing the mast and boom. She needs it! Come spring she'll be looking smart and then we'll make new videos, and probably a few new paintings, too.

The Nocturnal Visitor

Just northwest of Snow Hill this old structure always grabs my attention as I'm passing by on my way to Wilson and Raleigh on HWY 58 North. The beautiful silvery reflective metal is enough of a treat, but of course, the face formed by the symmetry of the windows and door is quite arresting. Usually I catch a glimpse as I'm moving by at 55 MPH in the daytime. One evening I stopped and actually got out of the car to observe the barn in partial moonlight. Here is a Google Map Link: 35.50067 -77.738197 -check out the street view.

Finding faces in common objects is something many people do --from seeing faces or shapes in clouds to noticing faces in simple things like faucets or the electrical wall outlet that looks something like the silent scream. Any painting I've ever done with rocks or stone has evoked the same kind of public analysis and provided entertainment to find the faces. The stark face on the old pack house barn is pretty hard to miss. I think it evokes a robot face similar to something I had as a Halloween mask and costume 45 years ago.

Of course, I've taken my liberties with this subject, but it is still a fair representation and I think a lovely nocturne of the building. This photo doesn't do it complete justice as the painting only looks this bright with full daylight or a bright lamp upon it. I currently have it hanging in a dark corner with subtle light from a nearby door softly illuminating the central part of the painting. Some things are best left as dark and dimly lit subjects. Passing by the painting, on the way to the kitchen, has almost the same effect as driving by the real McCoy.

Nocturnal Visitor is a 16 X 30 inch oil painting on canvas. It is framed with a dark distressed frame that suits the painting nicely. Contact me if interested.