Art Blog/Eric Whollem

Monday, December 21, 2009

The King of the Wood: Earth Painting/ FIGURATIVE ABSTRACTION by Eric Whollem

The King of the Wood

1974-5

earth pigments and charcoal in casein with gold tempera on panel

3'x4'

by Eric Whollem

Collection of the artist.

Earth Paintings With
Cross Cultural Themes

The King of the Wood is a painting that
draws upon folklore from Lake Nemi in
ancient Italy, the lore of the sacred kings
of Europe. They were ritual guardians of the
mistletoe branches that hung from the oaks
in the sacred groves.

Sir Douglas Frasier, the father of modern
anthropology, wrote of these sacred kings
in his famous book, The Golden Bough.

In this painting I have blended African,
Oriental, and Romanesque art into a
creation in my own style.

The background is gold tempera; other-
wise the pigments are ones that I made
myself from scratch.

The soil in the painting's landscape is
from Mt. Shasta, California, lending
a blessing energy to the work. I used
milk glue, or casein, as a binder for the
earth pigments--blending the earth with
milk in a holistic manner.

View this video about my earth paints.

Details of 'The King of the Wood' were painted
with a stick brush, much in the manner of
Aboriginal art. Oak leaf spirit guardians
are incorporated in the border design.

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Readers interested in my posts on ANTHROPOLOGY might view this link:

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

A POSTER STAMP FOR ART BLOG/ERIC WHOLLEM

Alaya

1976

by Eric Whollem

This is a link to my posts on the use of EARTH PAINTSin painting and sculpture:

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

View my posts of ABSTRACT PAINTINGS here:
http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/abstract%20paintings

For more information on Douglas Frasier see this WIKIPEDIA link:

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

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Early Works: Skogsra and the Four Elements

Skogsra

1972

acrylic on panel 3'x4'

by Eric Whollem

collection of the artist

Copyright by the artist.

Visions of the Muse

From Skogsra's cosmic vantage the world is a dark
globe that swims in the primeval conflagration.

Water flows from her heart. The earth is at her feet.
She glows as red as fire, set in firey clouds.

Skogsra is depicted with golden seaweed stemming
from her hair. Behind her is the World Egg.

Faux Postage From Amphitritonia

FROM THE ROYAL POST OFFICES OF AMPHITRITONIA

Art Stamps by Eric Whollem

                                                         The Egyptian Mermaid
                                                       2001
                                                       edition of 100
                                                       by Eric Whollem
                                                             Copyright by the artist

AMPHITRITONIA

                                            In the northwest of the continent of Amphora lies
                                            the land of Amphitritonia, bound by Mt. Krater and
                                            the River Naiad. The capital city is Ichthys; and the

monetary unit is the copper Cythera. Aphrodite rules

the realm in her triple function as Dove, Swallow, and

Swan, while Poseidon pontificates over matters

aquatic from his retreat in Ceto, the metropolis of the

dolphins. While Italian artists like Botticelli loved to

portray Aphrodite rising from a huge clam shell and

while the Mesopotamians had her emerging from

dove's eggs, the Amphitritonian traditionalists

maintain that the cowrie is the proper birth shell of

Aphrodite.

Alaya

1976

earth, clay and charcoal in casein on panel

by Eric Whollem

Collection of the artist

Copyright by the artist.

Paint Made From Raw Natural

Materials: Earth, Clay, & Ash

In 1973 I began to make my own paints from scratch, using
earth pigments that I gathered in nature. I was living in the

A Mermaid's Cave/Kelp as a Health Regimen

Why Mermaids Are So Robust

This mermaid's home gets both fresh air and fresh

seawater, all the better for her secret garden of

kelp.

I myself am fond of the taste of kelp, my muse and

I utilize it as a dietary supplement. Kelp is thirty

seven percent mineral; it's health benefits are many,

such as healing an ailing thyroid, reducing endeme-

triosis, and curbing tumors, etc.

Japanese who stick to traditional diet are very

healthy. It isn't just the fish. The seaweed is a

major factor in their outstanding well being.

The Sea Cave

2009

mixed media digital art

by Eric Whollem

Copyright by the artist.

Digital Fauvism: Goddess Art

Painterly Use of Digital Technology

The work to the left demonstrates how the computer of today

can evoke the easel art of yesterday.

This image recalls the works of Fauvist painters like Vlaminck

and Derain. These Fauvists were called "wild beasts" by the

public of their day, because they were not afraid of color.

What they indeed feared was monochrome, and the dark

pigmentation of normative European art.

Matisse began as a Fauve, but developed his own style. Another

famous Fauve was Raoul Dufy. Van Gogh was probably the

single major influence on the Fauvists.

Oceanic Goddess

2009

mixed media digital art

by Eric Whollem

Copyright by the artist.

The Beneficence of the Seaweed

Among the Starfish

2009

mixed media digital art

by Eric Whollem

Copyright by the artist.

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Readers interested in my MERMAID ART should view this link:

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

BELOW ARE SOME

MERMAID

STAMP VIDEOS

FEATURING DIGITAL ART

BY ERIC WHOLLEM

ANGELICA SEA SALT FAUX POSTER STAMPS

MERREMINDE ARTIST STAMPS

My posts of DIGITAL ART can be accessed here:

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

The Starfish and the Mysteries of Makara/ 'MAKARA IN KUNDALINI YOGA'/ 'Makara the Buddhist Sea King'/ A cinderella stamp from the Shambhala Nor depicting Nagarjuna and Tara

   Queen of the Starfish
    2009
    mixed media digital art
    by Eric Whollem
     Copyright by the artist.

Makara in Kundalini Yoga

The starfish is frequently associated with mermaids.

The Ousel

2009

mixed media digital art

by Eric Whollem

Copyright by the artist.

Mermaids of the Inland Waterways

In world folklore, mermaids and mermen are usually of the salt sea

or of lakes, rivers, and springs. Hot springs, especially have been

regarded as being in the care of overseeing spirits, these, of course

being merfolk.

In this image a mermaid profers her hand to an ousel, a creek bird.

John Muir once said that this bird was his favorite of all avian life.

The mermaid above is a Naiad, or freshwater mermaid or undine.

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See more MERMAID ART on this link:

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

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

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

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

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

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

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

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/Mt.%20Shasta

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

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

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

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

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

Copyright by the artist.

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.

                                                   ******

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.

                                                  ******

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

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: