Monday, April 26, 2010

ANGAKOK/ the transformation of an Eskimo shaman into a seal/ WATERCOLOR AND INDIA INK ON PAPER/ a figurative pictographic abstraction




               Angakok
               1983
                by Eric Whollem
                India ink and watercolor on paper
                Collection of the artist
                9 x 6"
                                                                               Copyright by the artist

The Eskimo Shaman

Angakok is a name given to the shamans of the Eskimos
in Alaska. The angakok is related to the shamans of Siberia,
where metaphysical practitioners are called "divers." This
diving relates to the duck, which is a bird which can fly high,
but also dive deep into the sea.

WISDOM'S NEUTRALITY/ a multicolored abstraction utilizing the color gray as a symbol of Wisdom




    Wisdom's Neutrality
    1984
    by Eric Whollem
    India ink, gouache and plastic emulsion on paper
    Collection of the artist
    5 1/2" x 4 1/4"
        Copyright by the artist.

THE DIAMOND BODY/ earth pigments, polyvinyl resin, and watercolor on paper/ A GEOMETRIC ABSTRACTION/ metaphysical symbology




                                       The Diamond Body
                                       1981
                                       by Eric Whollem
                                       earth pigments, polyvinyl resin, and watercolor on paper
                                       Collection of the artist.
                                       10" x 7"
                                               Copyright by the artist

Sunday, April 25, 2010

THE YELLOW MASK/ abstract art/ MIXED MEDIA ON PAPER/ a figurative abstraction




    The Yellow Mask
    1984
    by Eric Whollem
    India ink and wax resist on paper
    Collection of the artist
    4 1/2 x 2 1/8"
                Copyright by the artist

Saturday, April 24, 2010

SONG OF THE PEOPLE/ an abstract work depicting the Kakinim, or spirits, who are evoked in the singing of traditional Maidu Indian music

         

                     
   Song of the People
   1984
    by Eric Whollem
    watercolor, plastic emulsion, and wax resist on paper
    Collection of the artist
    9 x 6"
           Copyright by the artist

The Kakinim

The Kakinim are those beings who are called
spirits or ghosts by the Concow Maidu Indians
of Northern California. Kakini is the singular
form of the word.

The Sutter Buttes in the Sacramento Valley are
called Histayami by the Maidu. Histayami is
divided into three spirit levels by the Maidu.
Kakinimkodom, or Spirit Country, is the highest
level.

This painting gives an imaginative visual form
to a Maidu song. . . a surrealistic interpretation.  

BELOW IS A VIDEO ABOUT
CONCOW MAIDU
CULTURE

                           ERIC WHOLLEM

An excellent album of Maidu songs was issued
by Pacific Western Traders in Folsom. I used to
live in the house of one of the singers on that album,
Herb Young, a shaman of the Maidu.
_______________


SPIRIT ANIMALS OF THE CONCOW MAIDU
 Video by Eric Whollem
See my posts about the Maidu Indians on this link:

SEED FIRE/ a mixed media abstraction symbolizing the life force in seeds






     Seed Fire
     1984
     by Eric Whollem
     watercolor, parafin, earth pigments and polyvinyl resin
     Collection of the artist
     6 x 9"
         Copyright by the artist

NEW COLUMBIA/ a mixed media abstraction on paper




    New Columbia
    1984
    by Eric Whollem
    watercolor and wax resist on paper
    Collection of the artist
    9 x 6"
           Copyright by the artist

Thursday, April 22, 2010

SHASTA HOMEOPATHIC/ mixed media: bronze paint, acrylics, and pumice from Mt. Shasta in polymer emulsion/ ALCHEMICAL TRANSMUTATION




                                       Shasta Homeopathic
                                       1983
                                        by Eric Whollem
                                        mixed media on paper
                                        Collection of the artist
                                        4 3/16" x 3 3/4"
                                                                 Copyright by the artist

Transmuting Emotive Energy Through Art

This painting utilizes earth paints made from volcanic
pumice from Mt. Shasta in conjunction with a variety of
other paints. In this work I attempted to reengergize my
art with earth from a sacred place. The pigment used here
was gathered on the McCloud side of the mountain.

MAGIC BIRD ROCK/ a drawing inspired by the avian sanctuary near Tule Lake, not far from the Petroglyph Section north of the Modoc Lava Beds in Northern California

                                   
      

     Magic Bird Rock
     1983
      by Eric Whollem
      India ink on paper
      Collection of the artist

             Copyright by the artist

The Birds of the Petroglyph Section
MODOC ROCK ART, NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

Tule Lake used to be much larger than it is today.
Thousands of years ago many of the rock promontories
in the desert north of the Modoc Lava Beds were islands
in the lake.

LITTLE OLD MAN/ a pictographic mixed media abstraction based on California Indian rock art

  


    Little Old Man
    1984
     by Eric Whollem
     India ink and wax resist on paper
     Collection of the artist
      9 x 6"
                         Copyright by the artist                  

___________________

See more of my FIGURATIVE ABSTRACTIONS on this link:


Pictographic Abstractions Video.                           

*
A figurative abstraction.
*

ETHERIC ORGANIC/ an abstract work of art

   


    Etheric Organic
    1984
     by Eric Whollem
     gouache and wax resist on paper
     Collection of the artist
     6 x 9"
                   Copyright by the artist

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

DAYDREAMS/ India ink, wax and plastic emulsion resist on paper/ ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM/ PICTOGRAPHIC ART



      
             

                 Daydreams 
               1984
               by Eric Whollem
               India ink, wax and plastic emulsion resist on paper
               Collection of the artist
               5 1/2" x 4 3/16"
                  COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST


SEE MORE OF MY ABSTRACT ART
ON THIS VIDEO

Figurative Abstractions by Eric Whollem                      

*

BOX BLOCKS/ a geometric abstraction in watercolor medium




              Box Blocks
              1981
              by Eric Whollem
              watercolor on paper
              Collection of the artist
              3 3/8" x 2 1/4"
                            Copyright by the artist

CUMBERLAND GAP/ mixed media resist on paper/ ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM/ PICTOGRAPHIC ART




                                                    Cumberland Gap
                                                    1986
                                                     by Eric Whollem
                                                     mixed media on paper
                                                     Collection of the artist
                                                     6 x 9"
                                                                                        Copyright by the artist

Listening to Old Timey Mountain Music

I was listening to Cisco Houston's version of "Cumberland
Gap," an old Appalachian folk song, when I painted the work
seen here.  Such titling, no doubt, is not uncommon with artists.
Everything has it's subtle influence.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

DREAM FARM ROADS/ a visionary interpretation of Chi Chi Te, Black Earth Village, of the old Mooretown Rancheria in Feather Falls/ CONCOW MAIDU CULTURAL ELEMENTS IN THE WORKS OF ERIC WHOLLEM



               Dream Farm Roads
               1986
               by Eric Whollem
               gouache and wax resist on paper
               Collection of the artist
                            Copyright by the artist

The Big Heads of Chi Chi Te

This mixed media painting is filled with pictographic
symbols that relate to the culture of the Concow Maidu
Indians of Butte County, California.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

BIRD WOMAN/ figurative ceramic goddess sculpture




                                            Bird Woman
                                            2010
                                            by Eric Whollem
                                            business card
                                                                         Copyright by the artist

SEA GREEN SKIES/ a painting incorporating a linear style based on petroglyphs from California Indian rock art

                               


               Sea Green Skies
               1986
               by Eric Whollem
               Collection of the artist
               6 x 9"
                          Copyright by the artist.

SCRYING THE BERYL STONE/ a geometric figurative abstraction rendered in mixed media/ DIGITAL ART

                                                 



                                                    Scrying the Beryl Stone
                                                    1992-2010
                                                    mixed media digital art
                                                    Collection of the artist.
                                                                                        Copyright by the artist.
  

The Beryl Stone

My painting of Rosebone, painted in 1972, contained
a red orb. This was the Beryl Stone. See my post of 
March 19, 2010 for the whole story.

THE DESERT OF MATERIALISM/ a visionary mixed media painting/ A FIGURATIVE ABSTRACTION



                                                  
                                                  
                                                      The Desert of Materialism
                                                       1984
                                                       by Eric Whollem
                                                       Collection of the artist
                                                       6 x 9"
                                                              Copyright by the artist.

The Desert of the World of Matter

Most people in the world today strive to accumulate
things. This search is a vain one, according to the
teachings of religious masters like Buddha and Jesus,
who advocated spiritual detachment.

The Existentialist philosophers also bemoan the
fruitlessness of worldly things. But usually they arrive
at a form of despair, which gives them no comfort.

The image above is a loose interpretation of religious
icons from Russia, showing a crouching man seeking
water in a dry streambed in the desert.

__________

Readers interested in my posts on Spirituality may want to see:

My posts that deal with Visionary Art may be accessed here:

My gallery of Abstract Art may be seen here:

*
Abstract art, mixed media painting, spirituality, metaphysical art




Monday, April 12, 2010

PRINTEMPS/ visionary figurative mixed media digital art

                                                     


                                                      Printemps
                                                      2010
                                                      by Eric Whollem
                                                      mixed media digital art
                                                                  Copyright by the artist.

THE FIRST LEAF OF SPRING/ wax resist on paper/ FIGURATIVE ABSTRACTION

                                           

     
                                                  The First Leaf of Spring
                                                  1986
                                                  by Eric Whollem
                                                  wax resist on paper
                                                  Collection of the artist
                                                  8.5" x 11"
                                                                                     Copyright by the artist

An Allegory of Spring

This wax resist was painted in a small studio at 1400 feet in
the Sierra Nevada foothills. This terrain is filled with valley
oaks, gray pine, ponderosas and manzanita. The outcrops of
granite have clusters of stonecrop, a native succulent. It was
always the first green leaf of the dwarf oak that was the first
sign that spring was on the land.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

THE BLUE MERMAID/ mermaid art from 2010/ mixed media DIGITAL ART/ with comments on the mythological correlations of terms relating to Vilasa, the ecstasy of the Apsaras, and the mermaid Vila of the Ionian Sea

                             


                                                 The Blue Mermaid
                                                 2010
                                                 by Eric Whollem
                                                 mixed media digital art
                                                    Copyright by the artist.

Vilasa, the Ecstasy of the Apsaras

Vilasa, in the Sanksrit language means "ecstasy."
The term is usually applied to the Apsaras, who swim
in the mist of the Gandharvas, the Celestial Musicians.
The mermaid's ecstasy is Vilasa.


Friday, April 9, 2010

THE TURQUOISE GARDEN/ the fairy of bounteous harvests visits the magic falls of the Turquoise Mountains

                         


                              The Turquoise Garden
                              2010
                              by Eric Whollem
                              mixed media digital art
                                   Copyright by the artist.

The Allegory of the Turquoise Garden

Turquoise, having a delicate shade of light blue,
symbolizes devotion of a spiritual character. In the
image above a fairy queen is in ecstasy, having
arrived in a mystic valley where the leaves of
plants are blue.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

THE FAIRY AND THE FOX/ a poster design for Art Blog/Eric Whollem/ fairy art

                                       

                                        The Fairy and the Fox
                                        2010
                                        by Eric Whollem
                                        mixed media digital art
                                           Copyright by the artist.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

BEAR MAN/ shamanic art/ "Pano Maidem" from Concow Maidu Indian legend

                                             


                                           
                                          
                                              Bear Man
                                              1998
                                              by Eric Whollem
                                              goauche, acrylic and parafin resist on paper
                                              Collection of the artist.
                                                                           Copyright by the artist.

Pano Maidem, Bear Man
CONCOW MAIDU SHAMANIC LORE

The Concow Maidu Indians of Butte County, California, often
times call one of their traditional healing doctors "Pano Maidem,"
or "Bear Man."  The shamans in the old days would dress up in the
hide of a black bear before approaching a sick person. The doctor
would growl like a bear to "scare away" the sickness in the patient.

BIRD BOAT/ collage art: ink and paper/ Figurative abstraction by Eric Whollem/ ABSTRACT FANTASY ART

                             

      
                             
                                   Bird Boat
                                   2002
                                   by Eric Whollem
                                   ink and cut paper collage
                                   Collection of the artist.
                                                          Copyright by the artist.

______________________

See more of my posts of COLLAGE ART:


CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

 
HIPPOCAMPUS
collage art
by Eric Whollem

THE DANCING GODDESS/ wax resist on paper/ A FIGURATIVE ABSTRACTION


 

                       
                               The Dancing Goddess
                               1984
                               by Eric Whollem
                               gouache and wax resist on paper
                               Collection of the artist.
                                            Copyright by the artist

_____________________________

See more of my posts of FIGURATIVE ABSTRACTIONS:

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

GODDESS' GARDEN
by Eric Whollem
BELOW IS A VIDEO BY
ERIC WHOLLEM

.
FIGURATIVE ABSTRACTIONS                    
 
*
Abstract art, metaphysical art, mixed media painting.

Monday, April 5, 2010

AT THE EDGE OF THE SEA/ visionary digital mermaid art

    
                                     
                                            At the Edge of the Sea
                                            2010
                                            by Eric Whollem
                                            mixed media digital art
                                                   Copyright by the artist.

A Poster Design

Above is an advertisement for Art Blog/Eric Whollem
that I recently created.

Saturday, April 3, 2010

MUSE OF THE SEA/ a visionary interpretation of the Waterbearer, the harbinger of the Aquarian Age

                                    


                                       Muse of the Sea
                                       2009
                                       by Eric Whollem
                                       mixed media digital art
                                                                  Copyright by the artist.
  
The Waterbearer, Symbol of Aquarius

A crystal tower from the sea appears in this drawing.
This is the perfect tower, the penultimate beacon. It
supplants all false and poorly constructed edifaces. It
ushers in the realm of communication. It's diamond
matrix is the substratum of enlightened energy.

__________

To see this image among my Aethernet Stamps go to this link:

*
Abstract art, allegory, clean water for the planet, metaphysical art.

Friday, April 2, 2010

MAGICAL JOURNEY/ mermaid collage art by Eric Whollem/ Whimsical Figurative Art/ THE MERMAID QUEEN SAILS AGAIN




                                        Magical Journey
                                        2002
                                        by Eric Whollem
                                        ink and cut paper collage
                                        Collection of the artist.
                                                                Copyright by the artist


The Boat of the Mermaid

The dragon boat is the chosen vessel of the Sea Queen.
She travels with the seabirds, who never cease attending to
her needs. The red fish is worn in the coiffure of the Queen.


Magical Journey Stamp from Merreminde
COLLAGE ART
2009
by Eric Whollem
India ink, paper, word processor digital borders on colored paper stock
COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE



THIS COLLAGE shows the progress of the Magical Journey
into the realm of art.

This piece is a work in progress for a faux postage stamp from
Merreminde.

More stamps from MERREMINDE can be seen on the link below:


_____________

Stamps from MERREMINDE are on these posts on Art Blog/Eric Whollem

Readers interested in viewing more of my Mermaid Art should view this link:

My GALLERY of Fairy Art can be found here:

I have created many fantasy mermaid stamps from mermaid nations; those interested in my Mermaid Stamps should check out:

My stamps from Undinia show many mermaids:

Other mermaid stamps can be found on my complete GALLERY OF Cinderella Stamps:

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ABSTRACT ART
Mermaid Art.
Collage art.

*