CALIFORNIA PICTOGRAPHY/ An artistic tribute to the preshistoric petroglyphs of California/ A FIGURATIVE ABSTRACTION by Eric Whollem/ Contemporary Painting

CALIFORNIA PICTOGRAPHY

1984

by Eric Whollem

wax emulsion on paper

Collection of the artist

10" x 8"

COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

AN ARTISTIC TRIBUTE TO THE PREHISTORIC PETROGLYPHS OF CALIFORNIA

This work is based on my studies of pictographs and petroglyphs from

preshistoric California. I have visited a number of sites in California

where such images appear on the native stone: the Petroglyph Section

in Siskiyou County, high Sierra rock art in Plumas County near Long

Lake, at a site in the desert near Susanville, and at Milsap Bar along

the Middle Fork of the Feather River in Butte County.

Most of the pictographs in California are abstract in character. One

finds more representational images in the Eastern Sierras, where

the Great Basin Style with it's long horned sheep images proliferate.

The painted pictographs of the Chumash and Modoc Indians especially

have intrigued me insofar as I have made paints from raw earth pigments

since 1973. The Concow Maidu Indian culture has greatly influenced the

subject matter of much of my art.

_________________________

See my posts on EARTH PAINTS:

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

CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE

PAINTED STONES

by Eric Whollem 

photo copyright by the artist

THE VIDEO BELOW

EXAMINES MY

APPROACHES TO

PICTOGRAPHIC ABSTRACTION

 

ERIC WHOLLEM                                 

Readers may want to explore my posts on PICTOGRAPHS:

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

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LIZARD DREAM/ Native American Dream Power/ A PICTOGRAPHIC ABSTRACTION by Eric Whollem/ CONTEMPORARY FIGURATIVE PAINTING

LIZARD DREAM

1985

by Eric Whollem

mixed media on paper

Collection of the artist

9" x 6"

COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

NATIVE AMERICAN DREAM POWER

An Eastern Woodland Indian is known to have once said: 'White Man does not dream; he

lies.' This sentiment quintessentially establishes the reverence in which dreaming is held

among Native Americans.

The Great White Lizard is a motif found in numerous American cultures. Among the Maidu

Indians of California, he is called Usbuki. Young warriors at their initiations are taken to

dreaming places, where the power of Usbuki is offered them.

The Maidu also practice a religion called Kuksu, which is based on the sacredness of

dreams. If a person dreams that he brings meat to the social gathering, he follows his

dream. Dreams are the basis of foreknowledge and wisdom.

This painting is rendered in a pictographic style based on preshistoric rock art from

California.

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See my posts on DREAMING:

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

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

DOCTOR DREAM

by Eric Whollem 

THE VIDEO BELOW

PRESENTS MORE INFORMATION

ON SACRED DREAMING

AMONG THE

CONCOW MAIDU INDIANS

ERIC WHOLLEM                                 

IN THE STUDIO/ A figurative expressionist work in mixed media by Eric Whollem/ CONTEMPORARY PAINTING

IN THE STUDIO

1985

by Eric Whollem

India ink, tempera, parafin, and gouache on paper

Private Collection

15" x 10"

COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

MIXED MEDIA PAINTING

This work includes several cameos in full color of abstract paintings inset in

a black and white drawing executed in tempera and India ink.

_____________________________

See my online image gallery of ABSTRACT PAINTINGS:

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

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

FOREST OF HANDS

mixed media on paper

by Eric Whollem

BELOW IS A VIDEO

FEATURING MY MIXED MEDIA

APPROACHES TO ART

ERIC WHOLLEM                               

See my blog posts of MIXED MEDIA PAINTINGS:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/mixed%20media%20painting

BLUE TEMPLE

mixed media on paper

by Eric Whollem

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MADONNA/ Figurative Expressionism/ CONTEMPORARY ART by Eric Whollem

MADONNA

1984

by Eric Whollem

wax emulsion on paper

Collection of the artist

6" x 9"

COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

_________________

See a complete online image gallery of my ABSTRACT ART:

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

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

THE GREAT MOTHER

by Eric Whollem

BELOW IS A VIDEO

FEATURING MORE OF MY

FIGURATIVE ABSTRACTIONS

ERIC WHOLLEM                                  

SELKIES IN CELTIC MYTHOLOGY/ Mermaid Artistamps by Eric Whollem/ FAUX POSTAGE STAMPS FROM HY BRASIL

SELKIE

Hy Brasil Seamail Post

2010

by Eric Whollem

virtual stamp

COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

SELKIES IN CELTIC MYTHOLOGY

According to the Celts the mermaids are just one form that is taken

by the Selkie. Selkies can manifest as stones, waves, fish, birds, animals,

as well as people. A 'Selkie' is a 'shifter.'

The Selkie's transformation into another being primarily transpires in the

process of metempsychosis, or reincarnation.

SELKIE

Hy Brasil Seamail Post

2010

by Eric Whollem

virtual stamp

COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

The fish tail seen in mermaid iconography symbolizes how a Selkie is both

in the physical world, but is a bridge to the next dimension. A Selkie is

a kind of angel with one foot, or should I say 'flipper,' in heaven.

The mermaid is regarded as an angel in many cultures. Often they are

depicted with wings as well as fishlike appendages. As astral beings they

take flight and swim in the astral waters.

SELKIE

Hy Brasil Seamail Post

2010

by Eric Whollem

virtual stamp

COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

Emania is said to be the Celtic Otherworld. It is the land of sun and moon.

Often it is described as under the sea. As such it well could be construed as

the proper home of the Nine Mermaids of Galway, whose cauldrons are the

womb portals of human  incarnation.

The Sciences of the Cauldrons of Gwion is the metaphysical system upon

which Celtic reincarnation theory is established. Most Celtic Goddesses, Gods,

as well as the Sidhe Folk have their own special cauldrons. Many of these

cauldrons are kept in lakes. Fresh water as well as salt water suits the purposes

of the Celtic fay.

The Sidhe Folk (pronounced Shee) are similar to the Fairyfolk of Britain and

Europe. The Bean Sidhe, or Banshee, is the designation of a Goddess. The

wail of a Bean Sidhe is not malign; it is an indication of a departed soul. and as

such represents a glorious entry into Emania, a heavenly existence where there is

no hellish punishment as is found in other metaphysical systems.

SELKIE

Hy Brasil Seamail Post

2010

by Eric Whollem

virtual stamp

COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

The apple is a symbol of immortality in Celtic belief. The Nidhogg, a type of

sea pig, is often seen in the entwined embellishments of Celtic art. The Nidhogg

is the consumer of the apple souls of men. As such this is not to be feared, as it

is a poetic metaphor for the transformations of immortal life.

The Hebrides, off the coast of Scotland, are a Celtic version of the Greek

Hesperides, the Apple Islands of archaic lore. Arthur's Avalon translates as

Apple Island as well.

The Selkies on these stamps of Hy Brasil are entwined with apple boughs,

which is suitable for beings who are so closely tied to the processes of death

and rebirth. The great Celtic sea queen Morrigan is said to have anciently

appeared on the battlefields of old to gather up those souls who have crossed

over. The mermaids are there when we shift into the world and when we shift

out, according to the Celtic traditon, (as I have interpreted it here.)

See complete set of these Hy Brasil Selkie stamps on my video below:

SELKIES IN CELTIC MYTHOLOGY

by Eric Whollem

______________________________

See my posts on CELTIC MYTH:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/celtic%20myth

My posts on SELKIES:
http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/selkies

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

AMONG THE STARFISH

digital art

by Eric Whollem

BELOW ARE TWO OTHER OF

MY HY BRASIL

VIDEOS

ERIC WHOLLEM                                

ERIC WHOLLEM                         

MANANAAN McLER/ Celtic Mythology/ CINDERELLA STAMPS FROM HY BRASIL by ERIC WHOLLEM/ 'The Chariots of the Sky Sea'/ 'Emania the Land of the West'/ 'Apple Islands'/ Mythographic Artistamps

MANANAAN McLER

Hy Brasil Post Office

2010

by Eric Whollem

virtual stamp

COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

HY BRASIL POST OFFICE

2010

MANANAAN McLER

Hy Brasil Post Office

2010

by Eric Whollem

virtual stamp

COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

THE CHARIOTS OF THE SKY SEA

Mananaan McLer is the Son of the Sea King from ancient Irish

mythology. King Ler is his father; Aine was his mother, the queen of the

fairies. Mananaan was born on the Isle of Man. He had magical armor

and sword. He had power over the wind and waves; he was the patron

of sailors.

He is said to have had a magical chariot which could run across the

surface of the sea. The archetypical idea for such sea chariots may

stem from ancient Mesopotamia, the motherland of Astrology; as the

Chaldeans of old posited the night sky as a great ocean. Many of the

constellations with regular geometric form were identified as chariots

or carts. The movements of the stars across the sky sea is one of the

ancient mythological motifs of humanity.

In Welsh accounts he is called Manawyddan ap Lyr, the son of Lyr.

Bran the Raven is said to have accompanied him across the sea.

They would gather up silver apple boughs that floated on the sea;

these were symbols of immortality.

MANANAAN McLER

Hy Brasil Post Office

2010

by Eric Whollem

virtual stamp

COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

EMANIA THE LAND OF THE WEST

Emania is the name of the ancient Irish Otherworld. It is said to

be in the west. For every animal in the world there is an animal in

Emania. For every stone there is a stone in Emania. Everything has

it's counterpart in Emania. Emania is the land of the sun and moon.

The Welsh called Emania Annwyn.

In the Voyages of St. Brendan, an Irish monk of the Middle Ages,

he is said to have travelled to Emania, the land of the west. There he

discovered the land of Hy Brasil.

MANANAAN McLER

Hy Brasil Post Office

2010

by Eric Whollem

virtual stamp

COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

APPLE ISLANDS

The Hebrides off the coast of Scotland are named after the Hesperides,

which in Hellenic lore are said to be apple islands. Avalon, the famous island

of King Arthur was an apple island. Avalon, in fact, means 'apple island.'

In mythic accounts there are said to be islands that can rise and sink into the

sea. Such islands are said to be apple islands. Interestingly enough the

Hawaiians have such legendary islands in their mythology. The Hawaiians

speak of the heavenly Po of Kane; this is their Emania, their Otherworld.

MANANAAN McLER

Hy Brasil Post Office

2010

by Eric Whollem

virtual stamp sheet

COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

These are faux postage stamps that I created to honor the

memory of Hy Brasil, the voyages of St. Brendan, and the

sea lore of ancient Celtic mythology.

See more of my fantasy stamp creations on the links below.

_________________________________

Readers may want to view my online image gallery of ARTISTAMPS:

https://picasaweb.google.com/search/label/EricWhollemSArtistamps#

CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE

SISTERS OF THE SEA

artistamps from Delphys

by Eric Whollem

MOERA

an artistamp from Amphora

by Eric Whollem

BELOW IS A VIDEO

WHICH FEATURES AN ACCOUNT

OF THE

 VOYAGES OF ST. BRENDAN

AND DISCUSSES MANANAAN McLER

ERIC WHOLLEM                             

NEXT IS A VIDEO FEATURING

SELKIE STAMPS

FROM HY BRASIL     

ERIC WHOLLEM                           

THIS IS AN INTERPRETATION OF

ST. BRENDAN'S

TRAVELS

ERIC WHOLLEM                               

YGGDRASIL/ Scandinavian Mythology/ VISIONARY EARTH PAINTINGS by Eric Whollem/ Mythographic Art

YGGDRASIL

1975

by Eric Whollem

earth paints in polvinyl resin on panel

3' x 4'

Collection of the artist

COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

THE WORLD TREE

Yggdrasil is the name of the cosmic tree from Scandinavian

mythology. The 'world tree' is an international archetype. It appears

in many cultures with many variations across the globe. It is said

that the world tree concept as it appears in Hindu art may have

originated in the same Aryan cultural mileau as the arts of Scandinavia.

In fact one might conjecture that the origins of the world tree concept

go back at least as far as the Gilgamesh Epic from Mesopotamia.

In this ancient story Gilgamesh is a hero who descends to the bottom

of the sea to procure the Gaokerena, the sacred Oxhorn Tree, said to

have magical healing powers. Gaokerena became the Haoma of

Aryan mythology, which later appeared as the Soma of the Hindus.

Soma, was said to be a red creeper, a plant that grows today in the

Himalayas. A tea from this plant is lauded in the 'Rig Veda' as the source

of God realization.

Thus my image of a version of Yggdrasil as a tree that is reminiscent to

a degree of the palm trees of Sumeria is not too far afield. Were the

red leaves in the border of my painting a precognitive association to the

leaves of Soma? I was not consciously aware of the Mesopotamian and

Aryan roots of Yggdrasil at the time that I painted this work.

Some might say that Yggdrasil is an image from the collective unconscious

of humanity; this would be the Jungian view.

THE SCANDINAVIAN ICONOGRAPHY OF THE WORLD TREE

In the painting above I have taken many visual liberties with the

Scandinavian version of the story. I have made the Midgard Serpent

into a cadeucus, or dual coiled serpent. My version of the tree is wholly

fantastical in character, not based on any image from Nordic lore.

The border design is not derivative in any way from Scandinavian

sources; it is a creation of my own artistic imagination. In the original

story three stags are associated with the tree. In my image one sees

four.

According to Norse legend the great tree is an ash tree. It is said

to have three huge roots; but the tree encompasses nine cosmic worlds.

The three Norns are seen watering the tree with their buckets.

In the branches of the tree are the animals of the world. An eagle

traditionally is seated at the top of the tree.

I have associated images of the Scandic Adam and Eve in a cameo

in the trunk of my Yggdrasil. Their names are Lif and Lifthrasir. They

are said  in Icelandic lore to have been born on a beach at the beginning

of time.

Snorre was the great  Icelandic poet who first wrote of Yggdrasil.

EARTH PAINTINGS

I have painted many paintings from earth and natural pigments gathered

in nature. The dark background color on this painting is from earth

gathered near Wagon Camp on the slopes of Mt. Shasta in northern

California. The beige pigment of the bark of the tree is volcanic pumice

from Shasta.

The blue earth is from Butte County, California. It was procured from a

huge embankment near the Enterprise Bridge. The red leaves in the border

design are iron oxide paints from Butte County. The white leaves from the

crown of Yggdrasil are made from powdered white granite, gathered in

the Feather Falls area of Butte County.

Other pigments include pulverized sandstone from Pentz, California and gray

green earth from Forbestown Road not far from Feather Falls. Violet

pumice from Mt. Shasta colors the sacred serpent image in the center of

my painting.

The links below may be helpful for those seeking more information on

Yggdrasil and on my earth painting process.

_____________________________

Readers may be interested in my posts on MYTHOLOGY:

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

See my articles on the COLLECTIVE UNCONSCIOUS:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/collective%20unconscious

See my complete online image gallery of EARTH PAINTIGS:

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

CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE

ALAYA

by Eric Whollem

KING OF THE WOOD

by Eric Whollem

Learn more about YGGDRASIL:

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

THE VIDEO

BELOW SHOWS MORE OF MY

EARTH PAINTINGS

ERIC WHOLLEM                               

THE VOYAGES OF ST. BRENDAN/ Hy Brasil Cinderella Stamps/ ARTISTAMPS BY ERIC WHOLLEM/ Faux Postage Stamps from the Isle of Hy Brasil

THE EXPLORATIONS OF ST. BRENDAN

Hy Brasil Post Office

2010

by Eric Whollem

virtual stamps

COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

THE VOYAGES OF ST. BRENDAN

St. Brendan was an Irish monk who lived somewhere between 600 and

800 A.D. He was a sailor and an intrepid explorer. His 'Navigatio' describes

his travels to what may have been the Canary Islands and to the Faroes Islands

as well as to Iceland ('The Land of Forges').

He is attributed with venturing beyond Iceland to the Irish colonies in New

England. These were called 'Greater Ireland' by the Vikings, who in their old

compendium entitled, 'Landmannabok,' described the Irish as the Vestmanna,

or West Men. The Irish were used as scouts and interpreters on the first Viking

voyages to Vinland where the Irish language has known to be spoken.

Brendan's discovery, the isle of Hy Brasil, became the basis of the name of

modern Brazil.

More information about St. Brendan's travels can be found on my video notes

on my videos on Youtube.

______________________________

Readers may be interested in my posts on CELTIC MYTH:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/celtic%20myth

See my online image gallery of ARTISTAMPS:

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

BELOW IS A VIDEO

FEATURING MY ARTISTAMPS

FROM HY BRASIL

ERIC WHOLLEM                      

THE NEXT VIDEO DISCUSSES
MORE POINTS IN THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
OF THE VOYAGES OF ST.BRENDAN    

ERIC WHOLLEM