Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Sculpture of Parvati Painted With Volcanic Earth From Mt. Shasta



The Daughter of the Mountain
1994
volcanic pumice on earthenware
by EricWhollem
Collection of Marlene Permar


THE DAUGHTER OF THE MOUNTAIN:
      SPIRITUAL VALUES IN CLAY


This work in a free way evokes to a degree
the genre of Hindu Art, yet relates to no
special Asian tradition, it being, of course,
a modern work from Northern California.

The Daughter of the Mountain, or Parvati,
is the consort of Shiva, God of Meditation,
the remover of obstacles, the Renewer.

The light violet gray volcanic pumice of Mt.
Shasta was used to give this piece it's final
matt luster. This matt, earthen feeling is
a major feature of my ceramic art.

Mt Shasta is considered by some the Crown
Chakra of California.  Shiva and Parvati
dwell in the crown chakras of us all.




MOUNT SHASTA MEMORIES

I lived up near Mt. Shasta when
I was three years old--in the little town of
Dunsmuir. My parents settled for a short
while in Yreka. I still remember going to a
motion picture show in Weed in the 1950's.
The memory of using 3D glasses was
vividly imprinted on my memories.

Only in more recent years, beginning in
1973, I've taken numerous pilgrimmages
to the sacred mountain, where the ore of
many of my earth paints originates.

My father was a miner and became
president of the Paradise Gem and Mineral
Society. I was a rockhound as a boy, favoring
the exhibits of phosphorescent stones. We
used to go rockhounding at night with a
portable black light to find irridescent
stones. I found that scorpions, nocturnal
creatures, are often phosphorescent.

The Shasta area has the oldest rock in
California. Near Castle Crags is the oldest
geological formation in the state. The
rocks going up to the Lake of the Heart have 
sworls of many colors: blues, reds & greens.

I've learned from our Indian friends that one
does not just take from Nature. One is obliged
to leave a gift when procuring materials from
the earth. This  respect is magnified in one's
art, a blessing to humanity.



SOME OF MY MOUNT SHASTA STAMPS

The borders of these stamps I desinged on an antique word processor. The photos
are of Mt. Shasta as seen from the ridge above Lake of the Heart. To the east there
breaks a view of Castle Crags.

                                                                        *

                                                                      

7Mu Lemurian Post 2000
edition of 100
by Eric Whollem

                                                                                  2Mu Lemurian Post: Castle Crags 2000
                                                                                  edition of 100
                                                                                  by Eric Whollem

_______________

Those interested in my FAUX POSTAGE STAMPS from Lemuria may want to see:

My posts that deal with Mt. Shasta may be found here on this link:

My complete online GALLERY of Ceramic Sculptures can be found here:

For my entire list of posts on Faux Postage Stamps check out:

Artist stamps, artistamps, cinderellas, fantasy stamps, faux postage, mail art, micronation stamps.

Copyright by the artist.


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