Art Blog/Eric Whollem

Sunday, February 7, 2010

THE PYRAMIDS OF AZTLAN/ Atlantis/ Figurative Abstract Painting by Eric Whollem/ Mixed Media

The Pyramids of Aztlan

                1983
                by Eric Whollem
                earth pigments, polyvinyl resin, wax medium and gouache on paper
               Collection of the artist.
                18' x 14"
                     Copyright by the artist

A PRIEST OF ATLANTIS

This mixed media painting depicts an Atlantean priest holding a
tablet with an image of the Goddess.

Reminiscences of Aztlan

                                            1977
                                            by Eric Whollem
                                            earth paints, casein and watercolor on paper
                                            Collection of the artist.
                                            14" x 10 7/8"
                                               Copyright by the artist

.

A SHAMAN OF TEOTIHUACAN

The antler crowned figure in the painting above is my fantasy rendition
of an Altantean shaman. The meandering blue form represents the
canals of Teotihuacan, which was an island city, now found near Mexico
City. Aztlan is the legendary island home of the Aztecs. Some say that
Aztlan was Atlantis.

Viking Village

                                             1977
                                             by Eric Whollem
                                             earth pigments, casein and watercolor on paper
                                           Collection of the artist.
                                            14" x 10 7/8"
                                               Copyright by the artist.                    Click on image to enlarge

A VIKING SETTLEMENT

This painting is a fantasy rendition of an old Viking village.
The Vikings were the aristocratic class of old Scandinavia.
They were worhsippers of Odin. The commoners often
were devotees of Thor, the popular god.

Nothing Upon Awakening

                                      1988
                                      by Eric Whollem
                                      mixed media on paper: wax resist and India ink with plastic
                                         emulsion crayons
                                      Collection of the artist.
                                      15" x 10"
                                         Copyright by the artist.

REFERENCES TO SCULPTURE

It was in 1988 that I began a large series of ceramic
sculptures. Many of my ceramic works have been posted
on this blog.

I admire the sculptor Henry Moore's subway drawings
from WWII. Nothing Upon Awakening is a tribute to
this British sculptor who has inspired generations.

The Reclining One

1986

by Eric Whollem

mixed media on paper

Collection of the artist.

8.5" x 11"

Copyright by the artist.

BOLD COLOR AND FORM

The German expressionists from the 1930's left us
with an intruiguing legacy of figurative art. Kirchner,
one of their leading artists, is one of the great
creative spirits.

Abstract Expressionism in America began in the
midcentury. In this school of art, the figure largely
disappeared. Exceptions include the art of Gottlieb
and de Kooning. In de Kooning's approach the
treatment of the human figure became even less
naturalistic than the German Expressionists.

What is being expressed in "expressionism?"

Everything from existential anxiety to Zen
meditation. The wild calligraphy of Buddhist
artists from Asia is considered a prototype
for modern expressionistic art, which covers
the gamut of human feeling.

_________________________

See my posts about FIGURATIVE EXPRESSIONISM:

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

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

DANCING COLOR

mixed media on paper

by Eric Whollem

Saturday, February 6, 2010

THE BASKET BEARERS/ Early Works of Eric Whollem: A Visionary Watercolor Painting

The Basket Bearers

                                                    1974
                                                    by Eric Whollem
                                                    watercolor on paper
                                                    Collection of the artist
                                                    11 1/16" x 9 7/16"
                                                           Copyright by the artist.

The Celestial Farmer

This painting may well be a quintessential example of
whimsy. We see here a curious blend of technologies:
basket weaving and a mechanical contrivance of the
divine husbandsman.

AUTUMN FLOWERS/ Pictographic Abstraction/ Mixed Media/ FIGURATIVE ABSTRACT PAINTING

Autumn Flowers

                                    1984
                                    by Eric Whollem
                                    oil stick, gouache and wax resist on paper
                                    Collection of the artist.
                                    6" x 9"
                                      Copyright by the artist.

A Fairy of the Autumn Season

This mixed media painting gives a rendition of fairy iconography
with a contemporary flavor. Wax resist was one of my favored
approaches to art in the 1980's. Wax is a very stable medium
that gives wonderfully translucent color.

THE ALCHEMY OF INNER EARTH/ Rock Art of the Modoc Plateau North of Mt. Shasta

The Alchemy of Inner Earth or The Seven Mountains

1984

by Eric Whollem

gouache and wax resist on paper

Collection of the artist.

9" x 6"

Copyright by the artist.

The Petroglyphs in the Desert North of Mt. Shasta

In the Petroglyph Section near Tule Lake just north of the Modoc
Lava Beds in California is the oldest rock art in the state. It has been
dated approximately at 10,000 years old.

The Mountains of Aztlan

1984

by Eric Whollem

gouache and wax medium on paper

Collection of the artist.

Copyright by the artist.

Aztlan, the Isle of Atlantis

The Aztecs relate that they originated on an island named
Aztlan. Atlantis buffs long ago have conjectured that this
island was Atlantis.

Many Altantean theorists believe that Altantis is not so
much a lost continent as an era of earth's history. Those
who follow Plato's account of Atlantis posit that Atlantis
proper disappeared about 10,000 years ago, about the
time that the Indian rock art that inspired this painting was
engraved.

This painting is another in a series of my Modoc Rock Art
petroglyph studies.

_________________

See more posts on PICTOGRAPHS on this link:

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

Pictographs and petroglyphs video.

See more posts about ATLANTIS:
http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/atlantis

ALSO OF INTEREST MAY BE
THESE FANTASY STAMP
VIDEOS PRESENTING FAUX
POSTAGE STAMPS
FROM ATLANTIS

ERIC WHOLLEM

Abstract art, mixed media painting, Atlantis, rock art, petroglyphs.

WORM WORLD/ A Surrealistic Icon of the Realm of the Insect Gods/ A PICTOGRAPHIC ABSTRACTION BASED ON MY STUDIES OF CALIFORNIA NATIVE AMERICAN ROCK ART

Worm World Click on image to enlarge

                                                  1983
                                                  by Eric Whollem
                                                  watercolor and wax resist on dark green paper
                                                Collection of the artist.
                                                  8.5" x 11"
                                                        Copyright by the artist.

Insect Spirit Guides in Native American Medicine

Dragonfly is a being that can travel interdimensionally. They can see what others
cannot see. They can travel from the material world into the astral plane.

Pink Suite

                                        1981
                                        by Eric Whollem
                                        earth paints, polyvinyl resin and gouache on paper
                                      Collection of Rusty Woods
                                                Copyright by the artist

The Music of Geometry

If shapes could have sound, and sound could have color
we would know that geometry had succeeded as never before
and had become a work of art.

REFLECTIONS/ An Abstract Mixed Media Painting

Reflections

1981

                                              by Eric Whollem
                                              acrylic, watercolor, bronze powder, and earth pigments
                                                  in polyvinyl emulsion on paper
                                              Collection of the artist.
                                              4 7/8" x 4.5"
                                              Copyright by the artist.

GEOMETRIC ABSTRACTION

Wassily Kandinsky is considered the father of abstract painting. He was a
Theosophist and had been influenced by Leadbeater and Besant's book,
Thought Forms, which presented the idea that our thoughts manifest as
distinct geometric or organic shapes, characterized by colors which indicate
emotional tones.

Ancestral Tree

1974

by Eric Whollem

earth pigment, casein and watercolor on paper

Collection of the artist

8.5" x 11"

Copyright by the artist.

Visages of My Ancestors

This is an early mixed media watercolor. It is an imaginary family tree.

The faces have a bit of a Saxon or Celtic look to them. And one may

note the shamrocks that grow here and there.

This work bears an affinity to the works of Paul Klee, who I had

discovered as a boy. My fifth grade art teacher, Mrs. Boyd, was a

fan of Klee. And she gave her classes more than the usual amount of

art time. In high school my art teacher also promoted the work of Klee.

Klee's art has great affinity to children's art, so many enlightened

educators have contributed to Klee's fame among generations of new artists,

a considerable boon to the proliferation of abstract art.

_______________________

THE VIDEO BELOW PRESENTS

A VARIETY OF MY APPROACHES TO

MIXED MEDIA PAINTING

Mixed Media by Eric Whollem

FIGURATIVE ABSTRACTION

THE YELLOW FISH/ Earth Pigments With Gouache: A Visionary Abstraction

The Yellow Fish

1980

by Eric Whollem

earth paints and gouache on paper

Collection of the artist.

14" x 11"

Copyright by the artist.

A SIERRA NEVADA LANDSCAPE:

Rainpools Among the Granite Boulders

I painted this work in Feather Falls, California. I was living as a caretaker on an

old Maidu Indian rancheria. My Indian friend, Robert, was fond of carving in

soapstone. He gathered stones to carve "for his old age" around his house. Many

good carving stones could be found up towards Camp Eighteen and Fall River

Crossing.

Thaumaturgian Fox

1984

by Eric Whollem

gouache and wax resist on paper

Collection of the artist.

3 7/16 " x 4 1/16"

Copyright by the artist.

FOX MEDICINE

Fox in Native American medicine stands for intellect,

cleverness in all it's forms.

Fox is very independent, stands alone, and gets done

what needs to be done.

Fox is a blend of dog and cat. Intelligent like a cat

but with surprising strength for it's size.

Fox does not get lonely. It is very adventurous.

It can amuse itself. It is a survivor. It can live in

any condition: snow or heat.

These ideas were related to me by my muse, who

is part Iroquois and part Cherokee Indian.

_________________________

See my posts about MEDICINE ANIMALS

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/medicine%20animals

THE VIDEO BELOW

TALKS ABOUT MEDICINE ANIMALS

OF THE CONCOW MAIDU INDIANS

ERIC WHOLLEM

Indian medicine animals, shamanism, abstract art, mixed media painting.

THE GREAT MOTHER/ Figurative Abstraction: A Goddess Icon/ FIGURATIVE ABSTRACTION

The Great Mother

                                                       1986
                                                       by EricWhollem
                                                       India ink and wax resist on paper
                                                      Collection of the artist.
                                                      6" x 9"
                                                         Copyright by the artist.

The Great Mother Cradling a Goddess in Her Arms

This painting demonstrates how my ceramic sculpture had influenced my
drawing and painting. The Great Mother shows plastic versatility and
the exploration of mass. Shapes are pulled, stretched and expanded,
much as a sculptor would do with clay.

O, CITY WOMAN/ Natural Earth Pigments and Watercolor: A Geometric Abstraction

O, City Woman

1981

by Eric Whollem

earth paints, casein, and watercolor on paper

Collection of the artist.

5 5 /16" x 5 7/16"

Copyright by the artist.

Approaches to Mixed Media Art

"Mixed media" when applied to painting, refers to the artist's use of

a variety of paints, such as oil and watercolor, for example, in a single

work of art.

Sirens of the Quay

                                      1977
                                      by Eric Whollem
                                      earth pigments, casein, & watercolor on paper
                                      Collection of the artist.
                                      14" x 11"
                                          Copyright by the artist.

A Sighting of Dos Sirenas At the Wharf

In 1977 I took my big trip to Mexico. I wanted to see Tiotehuacan and the
Aztec pyramids, not to mention the famous anthropology museum in Mexico
City. This museum experience was overwhelming. It was the great stylistic
variety in Mesoamerican ceramics and sculpture that impressed me. The
level of personal vision is extremely high among the ceramic artists of the
Americas.

Windows of the Night

1974

by Eric Whollem

earth paints, casein, and watercolor on paper

Private Collection
Copyright by the artist.

Playing With Space and Texture

In works from this time period, my early twenties, I often would
create a shape and then repeat it, creating visual assemblages of
that defy apparent gravity. (I was twenty-three years old in 1974.)