'CERAMIC SCULPTURE by Eric Whollem'/ An art video from Eric Whollem's Youtube Channel/ Figurative Ceramic Sculpture/ GODDESS ART/ Clay Art Creations That Echo the Cycladic Mileau

A Video by  Eric Whollem, 2011

CERAMIC GODDESS SCULPTURE

Natural Earth Pigments Gathered by the Artist

The sculptures in this video are in many cases painted with

paints made by the artist from scratch. The colors on 'Moera,'

the first work seen in this presentation, for example include

volcanic pumice from Mt. Shasta, red iron oxide from the Feather

Falls area of Butte County, California, as well as a yellow pigment

that is made of decomposing sandstone from Pentz, a rural area

found in the Sacramento Valley at the gateway to the Feather

River Canyon.

Acrylic polymer emulsion was used as the binder for the paint.

This is durable and water-resistant. Many naturally occuring

earth pigments do not do well in ceramic kiln firings. So the artist

in this case followed the lead of Mesoamerican ceramic artists

who used no glaze, but painted their pots and sculptures after

firing. They often would burnish the completed pieces, usually

with a smooth stone.

The clay body for my work has usually been white sculpture mix,

a high grog content clay, used especially by raku artists or sculptors.

Terracotta clay has also been a favorite, especially in light of the

fact that terracotta has been the choice of many clay artists in

cultures around the world for many centuries. Terracotta is red

kaolin.

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Metaphysical Art, Figurative Abstraction

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See more CERAMIC SCULPTURES

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/ceramic%20sculpture

Mermaid Goddess Faux Postage/ Cretan Ceramic Sculptures by Whollem/ Earth Pigments From Nature

"MOERA"

Empire of Amphora

2001

by Eric Whollem

edition of 100, plus ten artist's proofs

48 x 79 mm.

Copyright by the artist.

CYCLADIC AND CRETAN INFLUENCES
IN THE SCULPTURES OF WHOLLEM

On the faux postage stamp above is a sculpture I created in 1992.
Like many modern sculptors, I have been an admirer of the Cycladic

art of the ancient Aegean, and of the related culture of Minoa in

Crete.

Moera is a Greek goddess of foreknowledge. She is related to

Aphrodite. The name Moira is a variation on Moera, which stems

from ancient terms for the Mother.

Moera is a Fate, or Fey, or Fay, an oracular goddess, associated

through Aphrodite to the sea, and as such could be designated a

mermaid. In Europe the Fata Morgana were considered prophetic

spirits of lakes and springs.

EARTH PAINTS

Moera is painted with earth pigments that I gathered in nature. The

red is an iron oxide. The beige is from volcanic pumice from Mt.

Shasta. The ochre color is from a sandstone deposit in the

Sacramento Valley near Pentz, California.

The clay body is terracotta. This sculpture currently is in a private

collection.

SYMBOLS IN THIS STAMP'S DESIGN

Stylized seahorses can be seen in the border elements of the stamp

above. Also a goddess can be seen in a ship with her long hair

flowing. The ship is horse-headed and has a fish-tailed rudder. This

sort of design was common in Phoenician ships of the Mediterranean.

The horse represents the power of the tides, the strength of Poseidon.

The two golden fish at the bottom of the stamp are the Abtu and Ant

fishes out of Egypt. These were considered very sacred. In Tibet

the two golden fishes are considered symbols of enlightenment. Carl

Jung, the modern psychoanalyst, wrote a classic work dealing in large

part with the symbolism of the Fish. Aion is thus one of this thinker's

better books.

My own book, The Mystery of the Mermaids, expands Jung's ideas.

I develop the idea that the mermaid is not just a symbol of the

unconscious, but may represent superconsciousness. Silver is the

symbol of the unconsciousness, according to Paul Foster Case; but

gold, and especially the golden mermaid, is a symbol of higher

awareness and realization.

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Readers interested in my GALLERY of Amphoran Stamps should see:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/amphora

Those who wish to view my posts of Ceramic Sculpture should look at:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/ceramic%20sculpture

My posts that deal with the topic of Cycladic Influences in my work should see:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/cycladic%20art

If you wish to view my entire online presentation of Faux Postage Stamps see:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/artistamps

My posts on the subject of Mermaids can be found here:
http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/mermaids

Those interested in Mythology might want to see:
http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/mythology

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Artist stamps, artistamps, cinderella stamps, fantasy stamps, faux postage, mail art, micronation stamps by Eric Whollem.

MYTHOLOGY
Mythographic art.

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Minoan Goddess Artistamps/ Figurative Ceramic Sculpture/ Cycladic Influences

"MARINA"

Empire of Amphora

2001

by Eric Whollem

editon of 100, plus ten artist's proofs

48 x 79 mm.

Copyright by the artist.

MARINA:  MOTHER GODDESS

AND MERMAID

This stamp from the land of Amphora, features a sculpture

I created in 1989. It is ceramic, glazed with a green raku glaze,

but also finished with oxides gathered by the artist in nature.

A Multifigured Sculpture

                                                     Festival of the Goddess

                                                   1994

                                                   natural earthen oxides bound in polymer

                                                   white clay

                                                   by Eric Whollem

                                                   Private Collection

I have created numerous sculptures featuring figurative groups such as this.
Such works are often stimulating artistically, as the play of light and shadow
adds to visual interest, leading the eye to exploration.

This work hearkens to the ancient works of Sardinia, Eastern Europe and
Celtic Spain.

View more of my ceramics on the video below.

                            ERIC WHOLLEM

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Readers interested in my IMAGE GALLERY of Ceramic Sculptures should see:

https://picasaweb.google.com/earthpaint/FigurativeCeramicSculpture#

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE 

SHRINE OF BIRDWOMAN

by Eric Whollem

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Ancient Horse and Rider Motifs

                                                                                                                                               

Horse and Rider

1992

earth paints on terracotta

by Eric Whollem

HORSE AND RIDER: ACROSS CULTURE & TIME

The motif of rider on horseback is a very ancient traditional image in diverse cultures spread across thousands of years. The horse is a symbol of Poseidon, the god of the sea, and represents the power of the ocean tides. Another of Poseidon's animal manifestations was the dolphin.


The sculpture you see here was painted with my own homemade earth paints made from
 pigments gathered in rural areas of Northern California.

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My brushes used for painting these sculptures are in fact sticks. The paint is thick and opaque,  and it's coarse gritty quality would quickly wear down a fine artist's brush. The technique is related to that used by peoples such as the Australian Aborigines, who used stick brushes to do their earth art on the plains of the ancient continent of the South.


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Although my paintings made of natural earths often used milk glue to bind the earth, I discerned that a more robust binder was needed for sculpture, so I used polymer emulsion on my ceramics. It is very tough and water resistant.

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Readers interested in my approaches to Earth Paints should view this link:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/earth%20paints

Minoan and Cycladic Elements in the Work of Whollem/ AN ARCHETYPE OF THE SEA

                                                         

Minoan Goddess
1989
raw ochre and green raku glaze on white clay
by Eric Whollem
Collection of the artist
PHOTO COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST


SEA GODDESS

This sculpture is of a Sea Goddess.  Her child is born from the top of
her head. She is based loosely on the famous Snake Goddess of
Crete.

Her gown is a modern interpretation of the clothing of the civilization
of the Minoans.                                                 

                                                     

Readers may want to view my posts of CERAMIC SCULPTURE:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogospot.com/search/label/ceramic%20sculpture

BELOW IS A VIDEO
FEATURING
MY
CERAMIC SCULPTURE

ERIC WHOLLEM                                

Other posts on CYLCLADIC ART may be accessed here:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/cycladic%20art

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Moera, Mother, Fate & Goddess of the Sea

                      

     

                                                    Moera

                                                    1992

                                                    earth paints on terracotta

                                                    by Eric Whollem

                                                    Private Collection

                                                    photo copyright by the artist

Minoan and Cycladic Elements

in the Work of  Eric Whollem

It is well known that Picasso established the first major artistic interest in the

sculpture of the Cyclades, the Greek islands of the Mediterranean. His cubist

work of the harp player is familiar to many. It was based on a Cycladic sculpture.

Cyclades is pronounced "kick-la-dees" with the accent on the first syllable. 
Crete, of course, is the famous isle that was home of the Minoan culture.

The roots of modern sculpture lie in Cycladic simplicity.

I have taken the flounced skirts and bare midriffs of archaic Minoa and

created works that bear affinity to the ancients.

My work, "Minoan Goddess," notably has round, fish-like eyes, a stylistic

element that rose from my subconscious.  Later in my studies I ascertained

the close resemblance to the round eyes of the oceanic divinities of

Mesopotamia, as well as to the fish gods of Lepenski Vir, the most ancient

city site on the European mainland.

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Readers interested in my Ceramic Sculptures should view this link:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/ceramic%20sculpture

Posts dealing with the Goddess concept can be found here:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/goddess

Check out Wikipedia for their article on the Goddess:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goddess

My posts on Mermaids may be accessed here:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/mermaids

Those interested in Anthropology may want to see:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/anthropology