FIGURATIVE EXPRESSIONISM/ 'The Blue Temple' by Eric Whollem/ A mixed media work in a pictographic style/ CONTEMPORARY ART/ West Coast School of Figurative Expressionism

The Blue Temple

1998

by Eric Whollem

mixed media on paper

Collection of the artist

20" x 16'

COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

Mixed Media

This painting utilizes a broad range of art materials: gouache

paints, gold acrylic paint, ash paint mixed with casein, and

parafin resist.

The pictographic approach is rooted in my studied of rock art:

petroglyphs and pictographs. The ethnic arts of humanity have

always had a great appeal to me. Currently I have incorporated

playlists of a wide range of international ethnic music on my

Youtube Channel. There along with video presentations of my

art is an array of world music. The side column of this blog has

a link to my Youtube presentations.

I was mentored as an art student years ago in the West Coast

School of Figurative Expressionism. I began making paints

from raw natural materials in 1973, which was catalytic to

great changes in my art.

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For a post that presents a bit of background on my approaches to FIGURATIVE EXPRESSIONISM see this link:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/2011/03/figurative-abstraction-watermoon-by.html

See more of my ABSTRACT ART on this link:

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

See more works that use EARTH AND ASH PAINT:

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

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'Cinderella Stamps from NEFERNEFERLAND'/ Artistamps by Eric Whollem/ A new look at philatelic archaeology at work in Egypt/ A YOUTUBE UPLOAD from ERIC WHOLLEM'S CHANNEL/ A fantasy map of Neferneferland

Cinderella Stamps from NEFERNEFERLAND

an artistamp video

by

Eric Whollem

2011

VISIONARY ABSTRACTION/ 'The Alchemist' by Eric Whollem, 1973/ An early mixed media painting using earth paints on panel/ CONTEMPORARY ART/ 'The Transmutation of Earth and Technology'/ With Notes on the Navajo Sandpainting of David Villasenor

The Alchemist

1973

by Eric Whollem

mixed media on panel

Collection of the artist

2' x 3'

COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

The Transmutation of Earth and Technology

AN ALCHEMICAL VISION

This early painting of mine from 1973 was painted quite near

the time when I first began making paints from raw natural

earths gathered in nature.

I mixed some of my acrylic paints with some of the thick earth

mixtures that I had ground up. The result was an opaque impasto

with a rough and grainy texture. This painting was created before

I had perfected my pigment filtering process, so the pigments were

especially coarse~which added to the texture of the final work.

I was attempting to bring 'medicine' to the plastic civilization of

my day in this work. I was attempting as an alchemist to imbue

the polymer tube paints that I had been using with the virtues of

mother earth. I saw alienation from nature all around me,  feeling

that I was living in a culture that had lost it's sense of harmony

with living things.

My original inspiration to use earth pigments had come through

a sympathetic study of Navajo healing paintings, which used sand

for pigment. David Villasenor, the Navajo artist, had inspired my

work with a visionary purpose.

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See more of my EARLY WORKS on these links:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/early%20works

A video of my early acrylic works.                             

My posts on ALCHEMY can be accessed here:

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

Those interested in my approaches to EARTH PAINTS may want to read:

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

Earth painting video.                                      

Some may want to see this Wikipedia article on SANDPAINTING, as it discusses the work of David Villasenor

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

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'Cinderella Stamps from BIRDLAND by Eric Whollem/ An artistamp video upload from Eric Whollem's Youtube Channel/ With music by Kevin MacLeod

Cinderella Stamps from BIRDLAND

2011

by Eric Whollem

See more of my VIDEOS on this link:

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

This link will take you to my BIRDLAND POST:

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

Readers interested in my entire online list of posts of ARTISTAMPS should check out:

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

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Faux postage stamps, micronation stamps, artist stamps.

FIGURATIVE EXPRESSIONISM/ 'Bird Philosophy' by Eric Whollem, 1985/ Chinese calligraphy/ ORIENTALIZING IDEOGRAMS/ Comments on Chuang Tzu, the Taoist philosopher

Bird Philosophy

1985

by Eric Whollem

mixed media on paper

Collection of the artist

9" x 6"

COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

Orientalizing Ideograms

In addition to my interests in prehistoric rock art, I have also

given considerable study to Asiatic calligraphy.

This painting incorporates ideograms that represent birds.

Seen in the image is an apparent Chinese gentleman. This

could well represent Chuang Tzu, my favorite Taoist nature

philosopher. I first read his writings in 1967. They had a big

impact on me.

Like Henry David Thoreau, Chuang Tzu was a nature hermit.

In my twenties I began to search out places to live in the rural

countryside. I have lived in Palermo, Feather Falls, Swedes' Flat,

and the Concow area of Butte County, California. Some of the

terrain in which I lived was oak covered foothills, other areas in

which I have lived were higher elevations with pines and cedars.

The granite of the Sierra Nevadas has always had a special

appeal to me. During the 1980's when this work was painted I was

living in Swedes' Flat. My favorite birds at this time were the

woodpeckers who had a nest in the gray pines near my eastern

boundary.

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See more of my ABSTRACT ART on this link:

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

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Cinderella Stamps from AMPHORA by Eric Whollem/ An art video from Eric Whollem's Youtube Channel/ Featuring artistamps depicting figurative ceramic sculptures and classic acrylic paintings by Eric Whollem/ GODDESS SCULPTURE STAMPS

Cinderella Stamps from AMPHORA

2011

a video by Eric Whollem

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Readers interested in seeing more of my stamps from AMPHORA should check out:

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

More of my ART VIDEOS are accessable on this link:

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

Those interested in my EARLY ACRYLIC PAINTINGS may want to see:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/acrylic%20paintings

My CERAMIC SCULPTURES can be accessed here:

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

My general GODDESS posts, including both paintings and sculptures, may be found at:

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

My online archive of CINDERELLA STAMPS is here:

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

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Artistamps, artist stamps, fantasy stamps, faux postage, micronation stamps.

Goddess art.

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FIGURATIVE EXPRESSIONISM/ 'Birth of the Golden Child' by Eric Whollem,1992/ Notes on Alchemical Gold/ CONTEMPORARY VISIONARY ART

Birth of the Golden Child

1992

by Eric Whollem

mixed media on paper

Collection of the artist

24" x 36"

COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

Notes on Alchemical Gold

The alchemists of old utilized symbolic images to express

spiritual truths. This image represents illumination: the

process of rebirth. Gold represents enlightenment rather

than mundane wealth.

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See more of my posts on ALCHEMY:

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

Readers interested in viewing more of my ABSTRACT ART should see these posts:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/abstract20art

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CONTEMPORARY ART/ 'An Aged Gentleman' by Eric Whollem, 1983/ MIXED MEDIA PAINTING/ Earth pigments, gouache and polyvinyl resin on paper/ Abstract Figure Painting

Aged Gentleman

1983

by EricWhollem

earth pigments, polyvinyl and gouache on paper

Collection of the artist

3 1/2" X 4 1/4"

COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

MIXED MEDIA PAINTING

AGED GENTLEMAN is a small work on paper that incorporates

earth pigments that I gathered in nature, having made my own paints

from scratch since 1973.

But my approach in this instance has been to utilize the earth paints

in a mixed media approach. The earth pigments were laid down in

a thick coating on the paper, then worked with a pallette knife, and

allowed to dry.

This background was then overpainted with aqueous media: in this

case gouache paints.

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Readers interested in viewing more of my MIXED MEDIA PAINTINGS should see these posts:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/mixed%20media%20painting

More posts of CONTEMPORARY ART may be accessed here:

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

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