CARYATID OF THE FALLS/ A figurative rendition of a Naiad by Eric Whollem/ MODERN ART/ Figurative Expressionism

CARYATID OF THE FALLS

1985

by Eric Whollem

wax emulsion on paper

6" x 9"

Collection of Cynthia Scarlett

COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

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See my online image archive of ABSTRACT ART:

https://picasaweb.google.com/earthpaint/AbstractArtByEricWhollem#

CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE

AFRICAN EVE

by Eric Whollem

BELOW IS A VIDEO

FEATURING MY FIGURATIVE

ABSTRACTIONS

ERIC WHOLLEM                                    

See my posts that deal with the topic of NAIADS of the spring:

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

THE OUSEL

digital art

by Eric Whollem

*

PRAYER TO THE DAWN/ AN ALLEGORY OF ASCENSION/ United Aethernet Nations Faux Postage Stamps by Eric Whollem/ MICRONATIONAL CINDERELLA STAMPS/ Virtual Stamps for the New Age

PRAYER TO THE DAWN

United Aethernet Nations

2010

virtual stamp

by Eric Whollem

COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

FAUX POSTAGE STAMPS

United Aethernet Nations

PRAYER TO THE DAWN

United Aethernet Nations

2010

by Eric Whollem

virtual stamp

COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

CYBERSTAMPS FOR THE NEW AGE

2010

PRAYER TO THE DAWN

United Aethernet Nations

2010

by Eric Whollem

virtual stamp

COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

CINDERELLA STAMPS

BY ERIC WHOLLEM

PRAYER TO THE DAWN

United Aethernet Nations

2010

by Eric Whollem

virtual stamp

COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

THE DAWN OF THE AQUARIAN AGE

United Aethernet Nations Postal Service

PRAYER TO THE DAWN

United Aethernet Nations

2010

by Eric Whollem

virtual stamp

COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

PRAYER TO THE DAWN

United Aethernet Nations

2010

by Eric Whollem

virtual stamp sheet

COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

This sheet of cyberstamps or virtual stamps was created in 2010.
The United Aethernet Nations is a fantasy micronational organization
created to symbolize the expansion of consicousness in the Age of
Aquarius.

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See more stamps from the United Aethernet Nations on these posts:

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

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

.

THE VALE OF THE VINE

by Eric Whollem

THE ORACLE/ A Pictographic Figurative Abstraction by Eric Whollem/ 'A Tribute to the Pythia'/ MIXED MEDIA PAINTING

THE ORACLE

1984

by Eric Whollem

mixed media on paper

Collection of the artist

9" x 6"

COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

A TRIBUTE TO THE PYTHIA

The Pythia or the Pythoness is the name of the oracle of Delphi

in ancient Greece. She is usually associated with a three fold stool,

as depicted in the painting above.

She would inhale intoxicating fumes that emanated from a natural

source at Olympus where her shrine was set in the mountains of

Greece. Priests would write down her inpsired utterances which

were her reponses to inquiries from people who would arrive

from all across the ancient world.

The Pythoness was named for a great serpent that used to be kept

at Delphi. Acaean invaders who came into Greece are said to have

slain the great serpent (a symbol of the matriarchy) and established

the sun god Apollo as hierarch of the oracular center.

PICTOGRAPHIC ELEMENTS IN THIS PAINTING

As the archaic pictographs of the world are considered by some as

shamanic, or otherwise inspired writings, I took the artistic liberty of

incorporating pictographic elements into the image above.

At Mt. Sinai in Egypt, for example, there are petroglyphs that appear

to resemble in form the rock art of prehistoric California. Whether

this is diffusionism or the collective unconscious at work is too broad

a question for a concise answer here in this blog post.

However, as an artist who has taken as one of his artistic directives

the assimilation of prehistoric California pictographic arts into the

idtom of his art, I have made of the Pythia my own Californian version.

In fact the Pythia has often been treated by myself as a theme, insofar

as she has univeral appeal, as an exemplification of the ancient mysteries.

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Read more about the PYTHIA on Wikipedia:

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

See more of my posts that deal with PICTOGRAPHS AND PETROGLYPHS:

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

THE VIDEO BELOW

ANALYZES PICTOGRAPHIC ART

ERIC WHOLLEM                                   

DREAM IMAGES IN MODERN ART/ 'That Old Dream Green Man' by Eric Whollem/ FIGURATIVE EXPRESSIONISM

THAT OLD DREAM GREEN MAN

1984

by Eric Whollem

mixed media on paper

Collection of the artist

9" x 6"

COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

_____________________________

See my posts on the subject of DREAMS:

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

THE VIDEO BELOW

PRESENTS MORE OF MY

ART THAT DEALS WITH THE DREAM WORLD

CONCOW MAIDU INDIAN RELIGION                   

by Eric Whollem                                  

ISLAND OF THE WINDS/ A Surrealistic Abstraction by Eric Whollem/ FIGURATIVE ABSTRACTION

ISLAND OF THE WINDS

1984

by Eric Whollem

mixed media on paper

Private Collection

9" x 6"

COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

Some might say that this work hearkens to a degree to the works of Duchamp,

the French surrealist painter. Others may see affinities to the arts of the Huichol

Indians of Mexico. I have taken liberties with traditional forms of pictographic

art as is found in prehistoric petroglyphs.

"The Isle of Dreams' is a journey into the collective unconsciousness of humanity.

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See more of my posts of ABSTRACT PAINTINGS:

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

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

THE ABORIGINAL TRIAD

by Eric Whollem

THE VIDEO BELOW

SHOWS MORE OF MY

FIGURATIVE ART

ERIC WHOLLEM                              

GEOLOGICAL BIRDS/ A visionary figurative painting by Eric Whollem/ CONTEMPORARY ART/ 'Visionary Metamorphosis'

GEOLOGICAL BIRDS

1985

by Eric Whollem

mixed media on paper

Collection of the artist

9" x 6"

COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

VISIONARY METAMORPHOSIS

I have long been a rock hound, having an interest in minerals.

My father was the president of the local gem and mineral society;

and we often went on mining expeditions into the mountains of

California.

This painting shows the metamorphosis of birds and other beings

into stone composites. This is, of course, essentially a surrealistic

approach to art.

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See my online image gallery of PAINTINGS:

https://picasaweb.google.com/earthpaint/AbstractArtByEricWhollem#

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

BIRD PHILOSOPHY

by Eric Whollem

CONTEMPORARY ART/ 'Departments of the Etheric' by Eric Whollem/ MIXED MEDIA PAINTINGS

DEPARTMENTS OF THE ETHERIC

1986

by Eric Whollem

mixed media on  paper

Collection of the artist

15" x 10"

COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

In this painting I have utilized pictographic means to render the image.

There is a stylized white figure in the painting; as such this work could

be categorized as a figurative expressionist work.

See more of my figurative expressionism on the links below.

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View my FIGURATIVE EXPRESSIONIST posts:

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

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

INTUITIVE BEINGS

by Eric Whollem

THE VIDEO BELOW

SHOWS MORE OF MY

ABSTRACT ART

CONTEMPORARY ART by Eric Whollem                   

PICTOGRAPHIC ABSTRACTION/ 'Concow Nights' by Eric Whollem/ MODERN ART

CONCOW NIGHTS

1984

by Eric Whollem

mixed media on paper

Collection of the artist

9" x 6"

COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

This image is a stylized representation of Native American gambling

in a roundhouse.

The Concow Maidu are the traditional inhabitants of Butte County,

California, where I lived much of my life. The language and culture of

the Maidu have provided much inspiration for my art over the years.

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See more posts dealing with PICTOGRAPHS:

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

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

FUGUE ON MANGANGESE

by Eric Whollem

See my posts that talk about the MAIDU INDIANS:

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

THE VIDEO BELOW

FEATURES MORE OF MY

MIXED MEDIA PAINTINGS

ERIC WHOLLEM                                     

CALIFORNIAN CALLIGRAPHY/ A pictographic painting by Eric Whollem/ MIXED MEDIA ABSTRACTION

CALIFORNIAN CALLIGRAPHY

1984

by Eric Whollem

mixed media on paper

Collection of the artist

9" x 6"

COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

This painting is one of my ongoing series of paintings that relate to

archaic styles found in Sierra Nevada Rock Art from California.

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See my online image gallery of ABSTRACT ART:

https://picasaweb.google.com/earthpaint/AbstractArtByEricWhollem#

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

THE GUNAS

by Eric Whollem

BELOW IS A PRESENTATION OF

MORE OF MY PICTOGRAPHIC

IMAGES

ERIC WHOLLEM                                

GLYPHS OF THE GODDESS/ A linear abstraction by Eric Whollem/ MODERN ART/ Figurative Expressionism

GLYPHS OF THE GODDESS

1983

by Eric Whollem

mixed media on paper

Collection of the artist

9" x 6"

COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

_______________________

See my blog posts dealing with the GODDESS:

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

MERMAID GODDESS

ceramic sculpture

by Eric Whollem

View my online image gallery of DIGITAL GODDESS ART:

https://picasaweb.google.com/earthpaint/VisionaryDigitalGoddessArt#

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

BIRD PERSON

by Eric Whollem

THE BACCHANTE'S CUP/ 'The Ancient Matriarchal Order of Greece'/ Mythographic Art by Eric Whollem/ FIGURATIVE ABSTRACTION

THE BACCHANTE'S CUP

1986

by Eric Whollem

mixed media on paper

Collection of the artist

6" x 9"

COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

THE ANCIENT MATRIARCHAL ORDER OF GREECE

The Baccantes were the devotees of the rites of Dionysius

in ancient Greece. Dionysius was the god of wine, of the

Bacchanal, and represented the womb principle.

In Turkey at Catal Hayuk, there are remains of perhaps the

oldest expression of civilized culture on earth, predating the

Sumerians. In a temple there bull's heads are part of the

ornamentation. The womb, with it's fallopian tubes, looks

like a bull's head. See the link below to view these relics.

In Greece the Maenads would lead the Bacchantes' rites.

The cup of the Bacchantes is a wine cup.

Originally the Greeks were Matriarchal. Invasions of Achaens

brought the cult of Apollo and overturned the oracular center

of Delphi, which in the early days was ruled by the Maenads.

In later history, Orpheus is known for contesting the rites

of Dionysius, having brought the cult of Demeter out of

Egypt.

_______________________

Read more about the BACCHANTES:

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

Learn about CATAL HAYUK:

http://www.smm.org/catal/top.php

See more of my ABSTRACT PAINTINGS:

https://picasaweb.google.com/earthpaint/AbstractArtByEricWhollem#

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

AMASIS

mixed media on paper

by Eric Whollem

See my posts on the GODDESS:

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

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

MINOAN GODDESS

ceramic sculpture

by Eric Whollem

THE VIDEO BELOW SHOWS MORE OF

MY GODDESS ART

AS INTERPRETED

GRAPHICALLY ON

FAUX POSTAGE STAMPS

CINDERELLA STAMPS FROM AMPHORA              

INTERFUSION/ 'The Sybils of the Ancient World'/ A geometric figurative pictographic abstraction by Eric Whollem/ CONTEMPORARY ART

INTERFUSION

1984

by Eric Whollem

mixed media on paper

Collection of the artist

6" x 9"

COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

The Sybils of the Ancient World

This painting is based upon my studies of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel.

I have always been fascinated by his depictions of the Sibyls of the ancient

world.

He depicted the Cumaen Sybil, representing the prophetic spirit of Italy; the

Erythrean Sybil, symbolizing the ancient Hellenic oracle of Turkey; the Persian Sybil;

the Delphic Sybil (representing the oracle of Delphi); and the Libyan Sybil.  Libya

is one of the archaic names of Africa.This was the quintessence of the Renaissance~

seeing the egalitarian status of the wisdom of all the cultures of the world, and

placing them on a par with the icons of the Judeo~Christian system.

Michelangelo helped to codify what became Humanism through these

allegories.

______________________

See my online image gallery of ABSTRACT ART:

https://picasaweb.google.com/earthpaint/AbstractArtByEricWhollem#

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

GARDEN OF THE NIGHT

by Eric Whollem

Read more about the ancient SYBILS:

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

Figurative Expressionist Drawings/ APPROACHES TO CONTEMPORARY ART/ India ink resist by Eric Whollem

NONHESITANT ACME

1986

by Eric Whollem

India ink and parafin on paper

Colllection of the artist

11" x 17"

COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

This drawing exemplfies the calligraphic approach of Zen Buddhist

drawing, where deliberation and ideation is eliminated from the mind

of the artist. My approach to figurative art has certain affinities to the

West Coast School of Figurative Expressionism, as in my college days

I studied in the art department of U.C. Berkeley.

THE AUSTRALIAN

1986

by Eric Whollem

India ink and parafin on paper

Collection of the artist

11" x 17"

COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

This drawing is, of course, a tribute to the Australian Aborigines,

whose earth paints and pictographic art has contributed so much to

the human art experience. I have made paints from natural earth,

charcoal, wood bark, and ash since 1973. Many of my paintings

are executed in a style based on preshistoric petroglyphs.

THE HUNTRESS

1986

by Eric Whollem

India ink and parafin on paper

Collection of the artist

11" x 17"

COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

The Goddess traditions of ancient Europe, especially as interpreted

by Marija Gimbutas have deeply affected my art. This is a pictographic

rendition of Artemis or Diana.

THE ARCHAI

1986

by Eric Whollem

India ink and parafin on paper

Collection of the artist

11" x 17"

COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

The Archai are the designations of the angels in Gnostic theology.

My favorite scripture from the Nag Hammadi scriptures uncovered

in Egypt is 'The Hypostasis of the Archons.'

The archaic art of Ethiopia, also of the Coptic tradition, has many

images that recall 'The Archai.'

__________________________

See my online image gallery of DRAWINGS:

https://picasaweb.google.com/earthpaint/DrawingsByEricWhollem#

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

COUNTERPOINT IN BLACK GRAY AND WHITE

by Eric Whollem

Read more about the West Coast School of Figurative Expressionism:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/West%20Coast%20school%20of%20Figurative%20Expressionism

See my posts on MARIJA GIMBUTAS:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/marija%20gimbutas

THE VIDEO

BELOW SHOWS MORE OF

MY ART

ERIC WHOLLEM