FIGURATIVE EXPRESSIONISM/ 'Two Archai' by Eric Whollem, 1986/ A Contemporary Pictographic Abstraction/ VISIONARY GNOSTIC ICONOGRAPHY

Two Archai

1986

by Eric Whollem

mixed media on paper

20" x 15"

COLLECTION OF SYB BLYTHE

Copyright by the artist

GNOSTIC ICONOGRAPHY

The Nag Hammadi scriptures found in Egypt presented to the

world a wealth of heretofore undiscovered Gnostic texts, mainly

of the Coptic traditions.

The Archons, or Archai, are designations found in Gnosticism

for archangelic beings.

One of my favorite Gnostic scriptures has been 'The Hypostasis

of the Archons,' which describes the Garden of Eden as under

water. Adam and Eve are designated as creations of God's

thoughts as images on the water.

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See more FIGURATIVE EXPRESSIONISM:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/figurative%20expressionism

BELOW IS A VIDEO

FEATURING

SOME OF MY

FIGURATIVE EXPRESSIONISM

ERIC WHOLLEM                              

Read more about GNOSTICISM:

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

Figurative Abstractions Video                        

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MEADOWS MENTAL/ A visionary figurative abstraction by Eric Whollem/ CONTEMPORARY PICTOGRAPHIC ART/ With notes on 'THE MENTAL PLANE'

Meadows Mental

1985

by Eric Whollem

mixed media on  paper

9" x 6"

COLLECTION OF LINDA DETTLING

Copyright by the artist

THE MENTAL PLANE

Esoteric metaphysics posits the Mental Plane above the

Astral Plane. The Mental Plane is characterized by thought forms,

reason and intellect, while the Astral Plane is conceived as a

dimension of feeling.

In visualizations among Hindu yogic practitioners the Mental

Plane is seen as a realm where the forms of Gods and Goddesses

appear to the yogi.

'Meadows Mental' is a painting that imaginatively recreates this

realm of the gods, seeing them as winged angels.

Buddhist theology places a yet higher dimension above the

Mental Plane, calling it Dharmakaya. Each system of spirituality

has a different name for these planes of being.

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See more posts on SPIRITUALITY on this link:

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

This link will take you to more FIGURATIVE ABSTRACTIONS:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/figurative%20abstractions

See my posts on THEOSOPHY here:

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

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WOCTOLLY DREAM SPIRIT/ A Concow Maidu Legend/ THE SALMON MERMAN OF THE FEATHER RIVER/ Contemporary Pictographic Art by Eric Whollem

Woctolly Dream Spirit

1985

by Eric Whollem

mixed media on paper

6" x 9"

COLLECTION OF THE ARTIST

Copyright by the artist

THE SALMON MERMAN OF THE FEATHER RIVER

Woctolly, or Waktali, is the name of a shaman who was discovered

in the fishing nets of some Concow Maidu fishermen on the Middle

Fork of the Feather River. The lower portion of his body was that of

a salmon, and as such, he could well be described as a merman.

The ceramic mask below was previously posted on my blog. It is the

mask of Woctolly.

Mask of Woctolly

by Eric Whollem

Photo copyright by the artist

Another ceramic that relates to the story of Woctolly is 'The Mother of

Woctolly,' also seen on Art Blog/Eric Whollem @

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/2010/02/mother-of-nereids-figurative-ceramic.html

This link gives some interesting cross-cultural parallels of Maidu

legend with international lore of  the salmon, mermaids and mermen.

The Mother of Woctolly

by Eric Whollem

Photo copyright by the artist

The painting of Woctolly above includes a number of deer surrounding

the central figure of the shaman. The deer is very auspicious to the Maidu.

It symbolizes friendship. The deer is called Sumi. Depicted also are the

steep cliffs of the Middle Fork of the Feather River, a very inaccessible

area. The Middle Fork is called Supi Poboku.

Woctolly was a bit of a trickster among men. But he appears in images

painted on the sweat lodges of some California Native Americans.

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Read more about the CONCOW MAIDU INDIANS:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/maidu%20indians

Concow Maidu Video.                              

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'Just So'/ An expressionistic pictographic abstraction by Eric Whollem/ ZEN INFLUENCES IN MODERN ART

Just So

1983

by Eric Whollem

mixed media on paper

COLLECTION OF THE ARTIST

Copyright by the artist

ZEN INFLUENCES IN MODERN ART

The Abstract Expressionists of the 1950's were often times

under the influence of Zen calligraphy. The above work,

painted in 1983, was created at a time when I was paying

special attention to meditation.

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See more EXPRESSIONISTIC images on these posts:

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

Pictographic Abstraction video.                           

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SEA GODDESS/ Ceramic Goddess Sculpture by Eric Whollem, 1990/ MERMAID ART/ Figurative Ceramic Undine Sculpture

Sea Goddess

1990

by Eric Whollem

earth pigments, acrylic emulsion

on white clay

5"

PRIVATE COLLECTION

Photo copyright by the artist

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

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Readers interested in my posts on MERMAID ART should see:

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

See more CERAMIC SCULPTURE:

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

Folks interested in mermaid sculpture may also enjoy my SEAHORSE SCULPTURE, as seen on this video:

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A WHIMSICAL CERAMIC FIGURINE/ 'Seated Figure' by Eric Whollem, 1990/ Figurative Ceramic Sculpture

Seated Figure

1990

by Eric Whollem

earth pigments, acrylic emulsion,

& oxides on white clay

6"

PRIVATE COLLECTION

Photo copyright by the artist

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

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See more CERAMIC SCULPTURE:

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

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EARTH GODDESS/ A Ceramic Sculpture by Eric Whollem, 1990/ Oxides on terracotta

Earth Goddess

1990

by Eric Whollem

oxides on terracotta

14"

PRIVATE COLLECTION

Photo copyright by Eric Whollem

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

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See more GODDESS posts:

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

THIS IS A SMALL SELECTION

OF MY GODDESS

SCULPTURES

(Photos copyright

by the artist)

CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE

See my posts which give details about my CERAMIC SCULPTURES:

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

THE ARTIST STAMPS IN THE VIDEO BELOW

DEPICT MANY OF MY

GODDESS IMAGES:

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PICTOGRAPHIC ABSTRACTION/ 'On the Cliffs' by Eric Whollem/ A visual fugue of linear ideograms/ CONTEMPORARY ART

On the Cliffs

1985

by Eric Whollem

mixed media on paper

9" x 6"

COLLECTION OF JOHN DMURGIAN

Copyright by the artist

A Visual Fugue

John Sebastian Bach made the fugue famous in music with his

'Die Kunst Der Fugue.'  My painting, 'On the Cliffs,' being a mixed

media work that overlays translucent resist of parafin and gouache

with black India ink ideograms is, in a sense, a two dimensional

approximation of the fugue, which is a muscial form involving

repetitive phrases in different voices.

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See more PICTOGRAPHIC ABSTRACTIONS on these posts:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/pictographic%20abstraction

See Wikipedia's article on the FUGUE:

http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fugue

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NOUMENAL ILLUSIONS/ A figurative pictographic abstraction by Eric Whollem/ CONTEMPORARY ART

Noumenal Illusions

1983

by Eric Whollem

mixed media on  paper

6" x 4"

COLLECTION OF THE ARTIST

Copyright by the artist

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See more FIGURATIVE ABSTRACTIONS:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/figurative%20abstraction

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ENCAPSULATIONS/ A pictographic abstraction by Eric Whollem/ Contemporary art based on prehistoric petroglyphs

Encapsulations

1984

by Eric Whollem

mixed media on paper

6" x 9"

COLLECTION OF THE ARTIST

Copyright by the artist

CLICK ON IMAGE FOR BEST VIEW OF PAINTING

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See more PICTOGRAPHIC ABSTRACTIONS on these posts:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/pictographs%20and%20petroglyphs

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'CANTHARIDIAN Faux Postage Stamps'/ A cinderella stamp video by Eric Whollem/ VIRTUAL ARTISTAMPS BY ERIC WHOLLEM

The Fay of the Arroyo

CANTHARIDIA

2011

by  Eric Whollem

copyright by the artist

View my video of CANTHARIDIAN fantasy stamps:

Cantharidian Stamp Video.

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See more CANTHARIDIAN STAMPS:

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

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'Cinderella Stamps URISSAKZILLIA' by Eric Whollem/ A faux postage stamp video/ VIRTUAL ARTISTAMPS BY ERIC WHOLLEM

The Bohemian Muse

URISSAKZILLIA

2011

by Eric Whollem

copyright by the artist

View my video of URISSAKZILLIAN faux postage stamps:

Urissakzillian Stamp Video.

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See more URISSAKZILLIAN stamps:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com

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'Faux Postage Stamps From AMPHITRITONIA'/ A cinderella stamp video by Eric Whollem/ Artistamps from a mermaid micronation

The Egyptian Mermaid

AMPHITRITONIA

2005

by Eric Whollem

copyright by the artist

View my video of Amphitritonian stamps:

Amphitritonian stamps.

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See my posts on AMPHITRITONIA:

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

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NEM KAKINIM/ Concow Maidu Spiritual Culture/ A modern pictographic abstraction by Eric Whollem/ FIGURATIVE ABSTRACTION

Nem Kakinim

by Eric Whollem

1998

mixed media on paper

COLLECTION OF THE ARTIST

Copyright by the artist

The title of this painting translates as 'Great Spirits' in the language of

the Maidu Indians of Butte County, California.

The great kakinim are the Saltu.

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See more of my posts that deal with the MAIDU INDIANS on this link:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/maidu%20indians

A video about Maidu lore in my art work.                       



'BIG AND LITTLE LIZARDS'/ Earth pigments and gouache on paper/ A pictographic abstraction by Eric Whollem/ USBUKI AND THE DREAMWORLD/ Concow Maidu Indian Lore

Big and Little Lizards

1982

by Eric Whollem

earth pigments and gouache on paper

COLLECTION OF THE ARTIST

Copyright by the artist

USBUKI AND THE LORE OF THE LIZARD

In the lore of the Concow Maidu Indians of Northern California, the lizard

is very significant. At the time of initiation a warrior is given his own personal

Usbuki, or warrior power.

Usbuki is the Great White Lizard. He represents the power of the dreamworld.

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See more EARTH PAINTINGS on this link:

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

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CHI CHI/ A drawing of a Concow Maidu village by Eric Whollem/ MIXED MEDIA ON PAPER/ Contemporary pictographic art/ FEATHER FALLS

Chi Chi

1986

by Eric Whollem

silver paint, plastic emulsion and ink on paper

8.5" x 11"

COLLECTION OF THE ARTIST

Copyright by the artist

This drawing illustrates Black Earth Village in Feather Falls, California,

where I lived for many years. It is a Concow Maidu Indian village site.

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See my posts about the CONCOW MAIDU on this link:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/maidu%20indians

These are my posts that deal with FEATHER FALLS:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/Feather%20Falls

Concow Maidu Lore in the Paintings of Eric Whollem.          

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'WHIMSICAL ABSTRACTIONS by Eric Whollem'/ An art video from Eric Whollem's Youtube Channel/ Contemporary Figurative Abstractions

Garden of the Turtle

1998

by Eric Whollem

mixed media on paper

COLLECTION OF THE ARTIST

Copyright by the artist

The video below gives a presentation of my painted works imbued with

inventive humor. The soundtrack is 'Gagool' by Kevin MacLeod.

Whimsical Abstractions.

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See more FIGURATIVE ABSTRACTIONS on this link:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/figurative%20abstraction

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'Angelica Sea Salt POSTER STAMPS by Eric Whollem'/ A digital mermaid art video/ CINDERELLA STAMPS/ Virtual Stamps by Eric Whollem

Angelica Sea Salt Poster Stamp

UNDINIA

2011

by Eric Whollem

a virtual stamp

Virtual Fantasy Poster Stamps

Cinderella stamps include numerous genres of stamps. A

cinderella stamp is, of course, any non-postage stamp.

Poster stamps are stamps that advertize products or events.

The period of classsical poster stamps was the 19th and

early 20th century.

'The Sea Mirror'

Angelica Sea Salt Poster Stamp

UNDINIA

2011

by Eric Whollem

a virtual stamp

The stamps in this blog post are fantasy or faux poster stamps

that I created for my mermaid micronation of Undinia.

Angelica Sea Salt Poster Stamp

UNDINIA

2011

by Eric Whollem

a virtual stamp

In addition, these stamps are virtual stamps, or stamps that exist

only as computer files. Some refer to this type of stamp as a cyberstamp.

Angelica Sea Salt Poster Stamp

UNDINIA

2011

by Eric Whollem

a virtual stamp

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See my posts about POSTER STAMPS on this link:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/poster%20stamps

See more about UNDINIAN STAMPS on these posts:

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

See my complete collection of recent Undinian mermaid poster stamps on this video:

                                                                                                                                                  'Angelica Sea Salt POSTER STAMPS'

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