Elektrine lite

← Feed

Michael Whelan

MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art

<p>Fine artist of Imaginative Realism. Illustrator of Science Fiction and Fantasy. Winner of 15 Hugo Awards. Inducted into the SF Hall of Fame in 2009.</p>

Posts

  • View post

    WAVE (1994) Acrylic on Canvas - 48” x 48” Of all the paintings hanging in my home, this one probably elicits the most comments. It&#39;s also a good example of why I am reluctant to say too much about my work. Some people are frightened by it, some view it as peaceful and some are just struck by its abstract qualities. 1/2 #fineart #personalvisions #imaginativerealism

  • View post

    THE DIVINING HEART (2005)
 Acrylic on Canvas - 36&quot; x 24&quot;

 &quot;Stepping stones&quot; of ammonite fossils represent the lessons of history and are the only havens of safety for the figure in the foreground. If her journey toward the future is guided by the foundations of the past, she can reach the horizon. https://www.michaelwhelan.com/galleries/divining-heart/ #personalvisions #fineart #imaginativerealism

  • View post

    KING OF THE DEAD (1977) Gouache on illustration board - 24” x 14” I had the good fortune of working on Elric early in my career. The books written by Michael Moorcock have proven to be enduring classics in fantasy. 1/4 #fantasy #illustration #michaelmoorcock #elric #dawbooks

  • View post

    PASSING BY (2025) Acrylic on Watercolor Board - 12” x 16” During my college years in the late 60s, I was fortunate to see Santana in concert—and they were great! 1/5 #leftoversandpalettegremlins #personalvisions

  • View post

    THE RIVER (1996) Oil on Canvas - 48” x 36” In my personal work, the red glass heart evokes the world of the senses and things that appeal to those senses. That’s material possessions for some or pleasure seeking and gratification for others. 1/3 #personalvisions #imaginativerealism #meditation

  • View post

    DRAGONFLIGHT (1978)
 Acrylic on Masonite - 20&quot; X 30&quot; 

For the first book in Anne McCaffrey&#39;s now legendary Dragonriders of Pern series, I wanted to create a literal visualization of the title. I selected an aerial point-of-view and tilted the horizon to simulate the dizzying sensation of flight. 1/4 #sciencefiction #illustration #annemccaffrey #pern #dragon #delreybooks

  • View post

    THE UNINVITED (1974) Oil on Illustration Board - 10” x 15” When I first moved to the East Coast in search of illustration jobs, I had to prepare a portfolio with a selection of the variety of work I was able to do. This was the “horror” piece that I took around to the art directors.

 Painted with oils left over from another portfolio piece back in ‘74. https://www.michaelwhelan.com/galleries/uninvited/ #horror #illustration #leftoversandpalettegremlins

  • View post

    WINGING IT (2008)
 Acrylic - 36&quot; x 24&quot; 

American history is full of examples of artists who were illustrators and became recognized fine artists—Edward Hopper and Winslow Homer come to mind—but I didn’t know whether I’d be able to pull off that transition. 1/3 #personalvisions #fineart #imaginativerealism

  • View post

    THE MASTER MIND OF MARS (1978)
 Acrylic - 21&quot; x 27&quot; 

The only John Carter cover in which I intentionally deviated from the story. The Master Mind does not appear in the actual scene but Lester del Rey thought the cover should go along with the title, so I took liberty placing the character there. 1/5 #sciencefiction #illustration #edgarriceburroughs #martiantales #barsoom #delreybooks

  • View post

    THE LOST CITY (2017)
 Acrylic on Watercolor Board - 14&quot; x 7 ½&quot;

 Members of the Miskatonic Antarctic Expedition discover an ancient city while searching for Gedney, missing from the advance camp and the massacre that took place there. 1/2 #leftoversandpalettegremlins #fantasy #illustration #hplovecraft

  • View post

    DRAGON ABOARD (2013) Acrylic - 18” x 24” Anne McCaffrey often reminded readers that her Pern novels were science fiction. This scene from ALL THE WEYRS OF PERN did exactly that and was originally chosen for the cover. 1/3 #sciencefiction #illustration #annemccaffrey #pern #dragon

  • View post

    THE DARK TOWER: THE ARTIST&#39;S DOOR (2004) Oil on Panel - 28&quot; x 18&quot; 

Patrick Danville, the magical artist, draws the door into existence. Note the 2 brushes on the doorknob. The marks of the tire treads on the ground are a callback to Susannah’s trike, depicted in another painting THE DARK TOWER: KA-TET. https://www.michaelwhelan.com/galleries/dark-tower-artists-door/ #fantasy #illustration #stephenking #darktower

  • View post

    BUFFO (1982)
 Acrylic on Watercolor Board - 32&quot; X 22&quot; Reading a novel by M. John Harrison always leaves me with the feeling that I&#39;ve experienced some vivid, chaotic dream full of important but indecipherable symbols and images. 1/3 #fantasy #illustration #mjohnharrison #viriconium #pocketbooks

  • View post

    EXILE&#39;S GATE (1987)
 Acrylic on Illustration Board - 32&quot; x 20&quot; My fourth and final Morgaine cover for C.J. Cherryh. The first was for her debut novel Gate of Ivrel, and this last assignment came over a decade later. 1/3 #fantasy #illustration #cjcherryh #morgaine #dawbooks

  • View post

    TIME AND TIDE (2009) Oil - 24” x 18” This painting started out to be just a morning exercise, kind of a companion idea to TIME&#39;S PASSING. But once I added the water, I was drawn into the scene—pardon the pun—and it ended up being a finished work. https://www.michaelwhelan.com/galleries/time-and-tide/ #fineart #perosnalvisions #imaginativerealism #portals

  • View post

    ALL MY SINS REMEMBERED (1978) Acrylic on Illustration Board - 30” x 22” An early career illustration that might be best remembered for its inclusion in the liner notes of Meat Loaf&#39;s BAT OUT OF HELL II album. 1/3 #sciencefiction #illustration #joehaldeman #avonbooks

  • View post

    THE END OF NATURE V (2000) Acrylic on Canvas - 36&quot; x 24&quot; 

The title is meant as a double-entendre of sorts, something I enjoy doing with my personal work. 1/2 #fineart #personalvisions #imaginativerealism #endofnature

  • View post

    EMPEROR OF THE WASTELANDS (1993) 
Acrylic on Watercolor Board - 32&quot; x 20&quot; 

For the Coldfire Trilogy, I set all the main characters within a framework of strange and exotic trees. 1/3 #fantasy #illustration #csfriedman #coldfiretrilogy #dawbooks

  • View post

    THE CLEARING (2004) Oil on Panel - 28” x 18” This interior illustration for The Dark Tower (Book 7) by Stephen King is a scene from a chapter entitled “In the Haze of Green and Gold,” which set the tone for the color scheme. 1/2

  • View post

    ISLAND (2007)
 Acrylic on Panel - 30&quot; x 40&quot; There is a long tradition of using the concept of “island” as a metaphor for the world as a whole, as in “This Island Earth.” This painting—the first in a series of works employing that metaphor—began as a meditation on the necessity for humanity to explore beyond the reaches of our immediate environs in space. 1/7 #fineart #personalvisions #imaginativerealism

  • View post

    THE NIGHT FACE (1977) Acrylic on Illustration Board Early in my career, Ace commissioned me to reimagine covers for reissued novels by Poul Anderson, including a book previously titled LET THE SPACEMEN BEWARE! 1/3 #sciencefiction #illustration #poulanderson #acebooks

  • View post

    PRUDENCE (1996) Acrylic on Panel - 12” x 11” The classical notion of Prudence is an important theme to me, as it was to the ancient Greeks. Possessing knowledge of the Past, and a desire and ability to order the Present so as to bring about a more ideal Future. https://www.michaelwhelan.com/galleries/prudence/ #fineart #personalvisions #imaginativerealism #virtues

  • View post

    In this week’s newsletter, Michael answers questions about Meat Loaf, his affection for the Myst video games, and covers he would like to have illustrated: https://theartofmichaelwhelan.substack.com/p/july-q-and-a-with-michael-whelan-11e

  • View post

    SKIMMING THE RED ZONE (2021) Acrylic on Board - 9 ½” x 17 ¼” I often see pictures in my mind when I glance at accidental shapes created by brush marks or overspills in the studio. 1/2 #leftoversandpalettegremlins #sciencefiction #illustration

  • View post

    LEGENDS: THE GUNSLINGER (1998/2000) Acrylic on Watercolor Board - 36&quot; x 24&quot; Stephen King doesn&#39;t describe the Dark Tower in the early books of the series, but many of the main characters experience dream visions of the object of their quest. 1/3 #fantasy #illustration #stephenking #gunslinger #darktower #rolanddeschain #torbooks

  • View post

    THE END OF NATURE (1998) Acrylic on Gessoboard - 28” x 22” The first in what became a series of paintings about our relationship with nature. 1/2 #personalvisions #imaginativerealiism #fineart

  • View post

    CHANUR&#39;S VENTURE (1984) Acrylic on Watercolor Board - 28&quot; x 18&quot; 

The idea is that in the space behind the door there’s a firefight or some sort of trouble going on, and the heroine is trying to “keep a door closed” to the tumult, so to speak. 1/4 #sciencefiction #illustration #cjcherryh #chanur #hani #dawbooks

  • View post

    WING (1992)
 Acrylic on Canvas -42&quot; X 60&quot; 

I was the Artist Guest of Honor of the Australian National Science Fiction Convention in Sydney in 1992. After the convention, my family and I spent some time traveling around the country. ¼ #personalvisions #imaginativerealiism #fineart

  • View post

    HATANI (1984) Acrylic on Board - 28” x 18” An inverted tale of first contact told from the perspective of an alien race. 1/3 #illustration #sciencefiction #cjcherryh #dawbooks

  • View post

    FUZZY FEDERATION (1979) Acrylic A decade after his death, Ace acquired rights to H. Beam Piper’s catalogue and began republishing classic paperbacks originally released years earlier. 1/3 #sciencefiction #illustration #hbeampiper #acebooks #fuzzies