EARTH SPRITE/ Ash Paint and Gouache on Paper: A Folk Art Icon/ FIGURATIVE ABSTRACTION

                                                   Earth Sprite

                                                  1998

                                                  by Eric Whollem

                                                  gouache and ash paint in acrylic emulsion on paper

                                                  Collection of the artist.
                                                  11" x 8 3/8"

                                                         Copyright by the artist.

A NATURE SPIRIT

Earth Sprite is an imaginative vision of a

gnome. I used wood ash from my stove to

make a thick paint, which I applied with a

stick for a palette knife. This heavy impasto

was used to outline the forms in this work.

To give homeopathic integration of this

naturally pigmented approach to art for the

aesthetic of our time, I contrasted the dull

gray ash with the oranges and blues of

contemporary gouache paint. Gouache is

a thick, opaque watecolor.

This is a good example of mixed media

abstract art that utilizes natural earth paints.