AMASIS/ Classical Greek Pottery Expressionistically Reinterpreted in Modern Art

                                         Amasis

                                        1984

                                        wax medium on paper

                                        by Eric Whollem

                                        Collection of the artist.
                                        14 " x 11"

                                           Copyright by the artist.

BACCHANTES

Amasis is the name of a famous ancient Greek pottery painter.

I did this work in homage to his art.

THREE NUDES/ Les Demoiselles d'Avignon Redux/ Figurative Abstraction/ ABSTRACT PAINTING by Eric Whollem

                                                   

                                                    Three Nudes

                                                    1984

                                                    by Eric Whollem

                                                    gouache and wax resist on paper

                                                    Collection of the artist.

                                                    6" x 9"

                                                        Copyright by the artist.

Homage to Les Demoiselles d'Avignon

Pablo Picasso's famous masterpiece, Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, has been

emulated by a great number of artists insofar as it was a pivotal work in the

foundation of Cubism.

LETO/ Oracular Priestess of the Nile/ My Prophetic Muse/ FIGURATIVE ABSTRACTION

  

                                 

                 

                       Leto

                       1984

                       by Eric Whollem

                       gouache and wax resist on paper

                      Collection of the artist.

                      6" x 9"

                               Copyright by the artist.

 The Egyptian Sybil 

The Egyptian equivalent to the oracle of Delphi in 

Greece was the oracle of Leto, who was known

especially in Crete. In Egypt she was called Wadjet.

In the painting above Leto upholds the Veil of Isis,

the Veil of the Mysteries. There are some that believe

the term "veil" might be better translated "net." Much

of ancient mythology is set in aquatic symbolism. The

idea may originally refer to the function of the goddess

catching souls rather like fish in the sea.

Wax medium is one of the more permanent of all art

binders. Wax resists bacteria and age. The murals at

Pompeii in Italy were wax paintings, and lived through

volcanic upheaval and burial in lava. 

________________________

THE VIDEO BELOW

SHOWCASES SOM OF MY

MIXED MEDIA

PAINTINGS

ERIC WHOLLEM                                 

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                            Mixed media painting, abstract art, Egyptian and Greek mythology, Veil of the Mysteries.                    

EARTH SPRITE/ Ash Paint and Gouache on Paper: A Folk Art Icon/ FIGURATIVE ABSTRACTION

                                                   Earth Sprite

                                                  1998

                                                  by Eric Whollem

                                                  gouache and ash paint in acrylic emulsion on paper

                                                  Collection of the artist.
                                                  11" x 8 3/8"

                                                         Copyright by the artist.

A NATURE SPIRIT

Earth Sprite is an imaginative vision of a

gnome. I used wood ash from my stove to

make a thick paint, which I applied with a

stick for a palette knife. This heavy impasto

was used to outline the forms in this work.

GARDEN OF THE TURTLE/ Mixed Media: Earth Pigments and Gouache/ FIGURATIVE ABSTRACTION

                                      

                                        Garden of the Turtle

                                        1998

                                        by Eric Whollem

                                        earth pigments, gouache and acrylic emulsion on paper

                                        Collection of the artist.

                                        14" x 11"

                                                                                                                                                                 Copyright by the artist.

  

Coon Man and Bearfish Mother in Turtleland

Many Native Americans posit the Turtle as a Creator Spirit. A being who

created the world and all that lives in it out of a handful of mud. I have

followed this tale in sympathetic sport, having taken a bit of earth paint

from the archaic bed of the prehistoric sea that used to fill the Sacramento

Valley floor and mixed it with some gouache paints from the art store.

The result is Garden of the Turtle.

EARTH MOTHER/ Earth Paint Made From Pigments Gathered in Nature/ Alchemical Wisdom/ A PICTOGRAPHIC ABSTRACTION

      

           Earth Mother

          1981

          by Eric Whollem

          earth pigments, charcoal and ash paint in casein on panel

          Collection of the artist.

          32" x 22"

               Copyright by the artist.

EARTH COLORS FROM NATURE'S ALCHEMICAL STOREHOUSE

This painting is an image that borrows much in technnique from
Australian aboriginal art. I used sticks as brushes like the aborigines.

LUNCHEON OF THE BIRD PEOPLE/ Earth Pigments and Watercolor/ Influences From Hopi Indian Art

                                 

                                    

                                        Luncheon of the Bird People

                                       1974

                                       by Eric Whollem

                                       watercolors with earth pigments and casein on paper

                                       Collection of the artist.

                                       11 1/4" x 9 7/8"

                                               Copyright by the artist.

HOPI INDIAN CERAMIC TILE PAINTING:
AN INFLUENCE IN MY EARLY YEARS

In 1973 I made my first earth paints from raw natural earths.

At that time I had been inspired by the power of Native American sand
painting, which is traditionally used in healing ceremonies.

I fell in love with Hopi ceramics, their pottery and their ceramic tiles.
The design in the painting in this post is derivative in a degree of their
tile art. I had read The Book of the Hopi about this time; it was a
popular book in the 1970's, describing the cosmological beliefs of
the pueblo Indians.

HOPI INDIAN CUBISM

The modern art of the Hopi people is amazing. Many of the traditionally
trained painters have done renderings of tribal ideas in a style distinctly
Cubist. I feel that Hopi Cubism is some of the best in the genre of Cubism,
though public recognition has never been commensurate with the degree of
excellence exhibited in the art.

If Braque had been Hopi, he would have spun circles around  Picasso.

________________________

Readers may find my posts about the MAIDU INDIANS of interest:

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

BELOW IS A VIDEO

DEALING WITH THE RELIGION OF

THE CONCOW MAIDU INDIANS

OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

ERIC WHOLLEM                              

Some might be interested in my articles on DIGITAL CUBISM:

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

BELOW IS A DEPICTION OF

'AUGUST BOWER'

A DIGITAL WORK OF MINE

THAT UTILIZES

CUBISTIC

TEXTUROLOGIES

(COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST)

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FIGURATIVE ABSTRACTION

JEWEL DESERT/ Native American Motifs in the Figurative Art of Eric Whollem/ Abstract Art

                                            

                                          

                                                The Jewel Desert

                                                1985

                                                by Eric Whollem

                                                mixed media on paper

                                                Collection of the artist.

                                                9" x 6"

                                                                                              Copyright by the artist.


THE JEWEL DESERT

This painting evokes the art of Native American
Indians. Not just the turquoise pigmentation of
the image, but the pictographic symbols that are
arrayed across the image's surface.

American Indian rock art has been a huge influence
on my work. Rock art is generally divided into
two types: pictographs and petroglyphs. Much of
my art has been dedicated to exploration of Native
American pictographic art.

        PICTOGRAPHS AND PETROGLYPHS VIDEO

EARTH PAINTS AND INDIAN LORE


The label, earth paints, will lead you to articles
that describe Native American inspiration as the
basis for the development of my own paints made
from natural earths, ash, and charcoal, etc.

                          EARTH PAINTINGS VIDEO

See my posts on EARTH PAINTS on this link:

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

See more of my FIGURATIVE ABSTRACTIONS here:

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

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GODDESS' GARDEN/ Mixed Media Figurative Abstraction With Earth Paints

            

                 Goddess' Garden

                 1997
                 by Eric Whollem
                 gouache and earth paint in acrylic emulsion on paper
                 Collection of the artist.
                14 3/4" x 9 3/16"
                     Copyright by the artist.

The Golden Child at the Gate of Initiation

Demeter is the Goddess of the Mysteries. In this painting the
Goddess has birthed an initiate, a golden child, whose destiny it is
to follow the path of Mystery.

THE FOREST OF HANDS/ A Pictogaphic Evocation of Nature/ Abstract Art/ FIGURATIVE ABSTRACTION

     

"Plants are feeling beings."           

                                    

    Forest of Hands

    1978

    by Eric Whollem

    mixed media on paper

    7 3/8" x 9 5/8"

    Collection of the artist

                                                 Copyright by the artist.

THE HANDS OF NATURE

This painting is a fine example of what some might call

anthropomorphic projection, which is to say the application

of human traits to objects or beings in the world.

DANCING COLOR/ Contemporary Figurative Abstraction

                                      

                     

                           Dancing Color

                           1984

                           by Eric Whollem

                           mixed media on paper

                           Collection of the artist

                           11" x 8.5"

                                  Copyright by the artist

THE HUMAN FORM

The human form has been a major theme of art since the
beginning of time. In Dancing Color I have attempted to
give a bit of movement to my figures, incorporating a
reference to dance, another of mankind's archetypical
expressions.

SEER AMONG THE STONES/ Mixed Media: Earth Paint and Gouache/ The Fairyland of the North

                                              

                                                      Seer Among the Stones

                                                     1978
                                                     by Eric Whollem
                                                     gouache and earth pigments in acrylic emulsion on paper
                                                     Collection of the artist.
                                                     11 3/8 " x 12 3/4"
                                                        Copyright by the artist.



A VISION OF CENTRAL ASIA

Music has great influential power.

I painted this work listening to Central Asian folk music.The blue
mountains in the background are reminiscent of the color of mountains
as is commonly rendered in Persian miniatures.

A Visionary Journey Into Fairyland/ A Nymph of the Spring/ Digital Art

                              

             

                 Fall Canyon

                 2009

                 by Eric Whollem

                 mixed media digital art

                     Copyright by the artist.

CLEAN WATER, A TREASURE FOR US ALL

This image shows a woodland nymph in ecstasy after the rain.

The cluster of blue forms in the upper left hand corner of the

drawing represents the energy of the rain.

The Muse in Fairyland/ Saving Our Pollinators/ Digital Art

   

                                                        Repose in the Glen

                                                        2009

                                                        by Eric Whollem

                                                        mixed media digital art

                                                            Copyright by the artist.

A FEW NOTES ON MIXED MEDIA DIGITAL ART

This is a drawing from 2009, colored with oil

or waterbase inks, (including metallic colors).

Cinderella Art Stamps From Amphora/ The Muse of the Wood

"THE MUSE OF THE WOOD"

Empire of Amphora

2001

by Eric Whollem

edition of 100, plus ten artist's proofs each

Copyright by the artist.

A Set of Four Stamps

A Neohistorical View of the Sacred King of Nemi in

Light of the Vantage of the Micronation of Amphora

This stamp set, entitled The Muse of the Wood, takes a cameo

of my portrait of "The King of the Wood," painted with earth

paints in 1974, and imaginatively recreates a courtship scene

involving his muse. The king with his triangular hat appears in

my earth painting as seen on my post of  December 21, 2009.

A Ceramic Sculpture of the Goddess Laxmi Painted With Earth Pigments From Shasta/ Faux Postage

"LAXMI"

Empire of Amphora

2001

by Eric Whollem

edition of 100, plus ten artist's proofs

48 x 79 mm.

Copyright by the artist.

VOLCANIC PUMICE FROM MT. SHASTA

ON A CERAMIC GODDESS SCULPTURE

This stamp from the micronation of Amphora depicts

a sculpture of Laxmi (Lakshmi) that I created in the

1990's.

The pink volcanic pumice from Shasta symbolizes

bhakti, or divine love.

A Goddess Sculpture Painted With Shasta Earth Pigments/ Faux Postage by Whollem

"SHAKTI"

Empire of Amphora

2001

by Eric Whollem

edtion of 100, plus ten artist proofs

48 x 79 mm.

Copyright by the artist.

GODDESS ART ON THE STAMPS OF AMPHORA

Shakti is a Sanskrit word meaning "goddess energy."

This is variously typified as nature, will, Maya, creative

force, imagination, etc.

Mother of the Octopi/ A Mermaid Fantasy Stamp From Amphora Featuring a Ceramic Sculpture by Whollem

"MOTHER OF THE OCTOPI"

Empire of Amphora

2001

by Eric Whollem
edtion of 100, plus ten artist's proofs

79 x 48 mm.

Copyright by the artist.

THE OCTOPI OF AMPHORA

The mermaid nation of Amphora is a great friend

of all sea life.  The Octopi, due to their eight legs

and great manual dexterity, are frequently hired as

postal clerks by the Amphoran Postal Service.

This stamp depicts a ceramic sculpture I created

in the 1990's, entitled "The Fish Mother," as she

has a large fish symbol engraved on her skirt.

Octopi are well known from the classical art of

Minoa and often appear on their ceramic pots.

_________________________

See more stamps from AMPHORA:

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

AN AMPHORAN

STAMP VIDEO

ERIC WHOLLEM                                          

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

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Ceramic Figurines on a Cinderella Stamp From Amphora

"ASSEMBLY OF THE HOLY ICONS"

Empire of Amphora

2001

by Eric Whollem

edition of 100, plus ten artist's proofs

79 x 48 mm.

Copyright by the artist

FIGURATIVE CERAMIC SCULPTURES

This stamp depicts a group of ceramic figurines

that I created in the 1990's.

Sacred Rock of the Seahorse/ Fantasy Stamps by Whollem

 

"THE SACRED ROCK OF THE SEAHORSES"

Empire of Amphora

2001

by Eric Whollem

edition of 100, plus ten artist's proofs

Copyright by the artist.

A NATURAL STONE TEMPLE OF THE SEAHORSES

In the north of Amphora, near the city of Hippocampus,

there is a natural rock formation in the limestone cliffs

near the sea.

In this outcrop one can clearly see the image of a seahorse.

As the populace of the continent of Amphora is composed

of seafolk: mermaids and mermen, this site is of great signi-

ficance in their holy rites of the sea.

___________________________

See my posts that talk about SEA HORSES:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/sea%20horses

BELOW IS A VIDEO

THAT SHOWS A

SELECTION OF MY

SEA HORSE FANTASY STAMPS

 

ERIC WHOLLEM                                           

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

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