| The first Calendar of the Orisha was published in 2004 by its creator, Eric K. Lerner, through Lulu. Primarily, it served as a promotional tool for his burgeoning career as a fine artist. |
From the 2005 Calendar of the Orisha, a story and drawing about the trickster nature of Eleggua. |
Initially, Lerner executed his early work on computer as evidenced here by "Obatala Shapes Man" for the 2005 Calendar of the Orisha. |
How Lerner came to have a career as an artist is a testament to the transformative power of the Orisha. Lerner was crowned Obatala in 1998. At the time, he had exhibited no ability as an artist. "After I made Obatala," Lerner explains, "it seemed I just wanted to draw all the time. As someone who had..and still does...have problems with a stick figure, this was a big surprise. Initially, I executed
illustrations using computer as tributes to the orisha. But increasingly, I worked by hand, using any media I happened to come by." Soon Lerner's work began to garner serious attention internationally. Some of his work was liscenced by the British Broadcasting Corporation for its programme "Sea of Souls." |
| Lerner found himself with exhibition requests and commercial work as an illustrator. "I enjoy working as an artist greatly. But I have no training and am still figuring things out as I go along. The only way I can explain this is to say that this is the way Obatala chose to express himself through me...Not all of my art at this point is specifically about Orisha, but orisha are the underpinnings of everything, and my
Daddy is the source of all creative conciousness. I no longer make the distinction whether or not a piece is about Orisha because ultimately everything is." |
Increasingly, Lerner turned to more traditional media in his Orisha art as evidenced by this painting of Oshun for the 2006 Calendar of the Orisha. |
"'Shango'" was the first piece that reached a wide audience The BBC licensed it for a big sum, and suddenly I realized that maybe I needed to take my art seriously..." In recognition of its personal impact, Shango is the only painting Lerner has included in all editions of the Calendar of the Orisha. |
The 2008 calendar features seven new frontispieces, along with some old favorites.
To order a copy for $12.99 + 3.00 S&H in the U.S., use one of the Paypal links.
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