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flower-wizard.bsky.social
@flower-wizard.bsky.social
10 followers 6 following 13 posts
Manchester United FC fan, music fan, video gamer, introvert, Cannabis is life.
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michaelwhelan.bsky.social
AMETHYSTIA
Acrylic on Panel - 5" x 7"

A tiny painting donated years ago to a Society of Illustrators charity auction.
Sitting on an arch of blocky purple stone rising out of calm water, a woman sits with one hand draped over a shiny metallic sphere. Tinted amethyst, tall clear crystals grow out of the bridge. From her perch, one of leg dips down while the other knee is raised up. Her thin white shift covers just her shoulder and arm while leaving one breast exposed. Her skin is pale and her red hair flows like a frizzy mane down to her waist. Hair brushed mostly to one side reveals a large hoop earring that echoes the shape of the arch turned on its side.
February 1, 2024 at 3:26 PM
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michaelwhelan.bsky.social
MONUMENT (1992)
Acrylic on Watercolor Board - 32" x 20"

After Isaac Asimov passed away in 1992, I was asked to provide cover art for a posthumous tribute in "Asimov's Science Fiction" magazine. 1/
A shiny robot sits upon a stack of books. The ground beneath is rendered like the metal covered surface of the planet Trantor. Wearing a white cloak with hood up, the robot casually drapes one arm over a bent knee. In the other hand, it holds a bowl with a flicker of flame extending off it. Behind the robot stands Isaac Asimov with iconic mutton chops and glasses smiling for the audience. A mechanical keyboard is propped at his side. An inverted glass pyramid floats next to him. A spiral galaxy unwinds at an angle in the background sky. Notably that sky contains not just the dots of stars but the tiny swirls of other galaxies. Low in the sky, the corona of a star in total eclipse flares.
January 24, 2024 at 4:35 PM
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michaelwhelan.bsky.social
RENEGADES OF PERN (1988)
Acrylic on Watercolor Board - 20" X 30"

I was in a frenzied state trying to finish up jobs before the impending birth of our son when I had a dream about this cover. 1/3
A caravan travels the grassy plains of an alien world as a line of dragons casually flies by. A man in overcoat with bright red garb underneath leads the way with a bag slung over his shoulder. The gypsy-like wagons that follow are pulled by rough skinned pachyderms. An adult and child stand at the rail atop the foremost wagon gazing out at the vista. Tall flat top trees rise up into a sky hazy with dusk and atmospheric effects that stretch lavender and peach across the horizon.
January 29, 2024 at 3:30 PM
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michaelwhelan.bsky.social
The figure in the image realizes that safety lies not in hiding in darkness but in facing reality, seeking light, and acquiring knowledge. It is only with knowledge and the advantages of a greater perspective that one can hope to overcome obstacles. 2/
Detail from EMPIRE OF DREAMS of a woman hugging her knees at the top of a broken concrete column. A closer detail from EMPIRE OF DREAMS featuring a woman hugging her knees at the top of a broken concrete column. Rusted rebar protrudes from the facade behind her casting long shadows on the stone. Close detail from EMPIRE OF DREAMS featuring a key hanging looped over a short outcrop of rebar.
January 11, 2024 at 3:30 PM
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michaelwhelan.bsky.social
EVILE (2009)
Acrylic on Panel - 21" x 21"

In an interview, I was asked how I became interested in drawing dark horror images. Many of the earlier pieces were done because they were, simply put, fun. 1/
A horrific figure with no discernible face emerges from a mound of writhing bodies to raise one arm in a chilling flex. The elongated limb is bent around a cloudy blue sphere hovering over its shoulder. The tip of one talon touches that planetary surface symbolizing its inescapable reach. The opening at the top of the mound, where it stands in its caldera of suffering, is uterine in shape and lined with a variety of deformed mouths. Root like tentacles snake through the bodies below depicted in a range of emotion from ecstasy to despair. The background above is an industrialized skyline of factories spewing pollution that tints the air orange except where one small streak of blue shows through.
January 19, 2024 at 6:06 PM
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michaelwhelan.bsky.social
ANACKIRE (1983)
Acrylic on Illustration Board - 28" x 18"

Cover illustration for the book by Tanith Lee (DAW)

www.michaelwhelan.com/galleries/an...
Set in the immediate foreground left framed by the pointed arch of crumbling ruins, a woman raises arms in a V, a grand gesture as she gazes out at a valley rendered in brilliant shades of pink and purple. Filling the gap between valley walls, a divine female figure with 8 arms and a serpent tail glows an ethereal yellow tinting the sky orange around her. Six arms fan behind her with the fingers of each hand locked in a different arcane gestures while her most prominent arms cross over bare breasts. Her eyes shine bright white as they fix on the distance over the viewer. Shoulder length hair spreads around her in the wash of the sky. Book cover for ANACKIRE by Tanith Lee, published by DAW Books
January 10, 2024 at 2:43 PM
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michaelwhelan.bsky.social
AMAZONS 2 (1981)
Acrylic on Crescent Illustration Board - 24" x 16"

Cover for a DAW anthology featuring women characters written (mostly) by female writers. I based my illustration on a story about pirates.
Balanced on the bow of a slender boat, two dark haired Amazon warriors stand poised to attack. The point of the bow has splintered the rails of another vessel. The armored men aboard lurch back with the impact as the Amazons surge forward. One grips a spear two-handed overhead, ready to stab downward. Holding a round shield for defense, the other draws back her sword arm ready to swing. Her long green cape drapes down over her leanly muscular body as she pivots. Billowing mist obscures all but the tip of their ship. The sky above is gray, clouds tinged with red by a bloody gibbous moon.
December 4, 2023 at 4:27 PM
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michaelwhelan.bsky.social
When I painted this, I imagined an artistic wizard great enough to use the sky for his canvas and put on a display of color and light visible for hundreds of miles. 3/3

www.michaelwhelan.com/galleries/no...
Close detail of a wizard standing among the marbled pillars of a tiny gazebo with domed roof. He gestures and a white dove flutters into the sky.
December 19, 2023 at 3:09 PM
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michaelwhelan.bsky.social
WINTER ENCHANTMENT (1997)
Acrylic - 24 ½" x 19 ½"

Another installment in the family holiday art tradition. The card that year was meant to fold into a pyramid to stand up for display. 1/2

www.michaelwhelan.com/galleries/wi...
In a wintry forest scene, a fairy descends on delicate wings to touch the top a snowy evergreen with a long crystal wand. A crystalized snowflake materializes at the tip as a troop of ice fairies dance with ballerina-like grace while adding lights around the tree. A clear patch of ice reflects the small but festive tree. Off to the side, an elf hides in another snow burdened tree holding up the artists MW sigil. The art was intended to fold into a pyramid shaped card so the perspective is a fishbowl-like view of the forest tapering to the full moon that shows through a break in the clouds. Close detail of winter faeries dancing around the tree while decorating it with lights. Close detail of elf in a snow burdened tree holding up the artist's MW sigil
November 26, 2023 at 10:03 PM
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michaelwhelan.bsky.social
ÉMIGRÉ (2006)
Acrylic on Panel - 12" x 12"

A study done at the time I painted END OF NATURE VII, later finished to become a new small painting in its own right. 1/2
The viewer is drawn into a low angle view from the underside of a wide crescent of trees. Bare trunks bathed in golden light lean toward an unseen sun setting low off-panel to the left. The play of light on bark illuminates rich texture, defined in detail by soft shadow. Thinning branches rise and spread like the delta of a river to support flat treetops that stand dark green against clear azure sky. Blending among the upper branches, a female holds a suitcase, clasping it by the handle with both hands. Pensively she stares off, posed as if waiting for a ride. The line of her eyes extends from nearby branches to an inward facing sliver of chalky moon. On her back flare wings that seem constructed rather than natural. Secured with leather straps crossing her chest, the wings flare out revealing a webbing of wooden supports underneath to lend structure.
November 28, 2023 at 2:32 PM
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michaelwhelan.bsky.social
THE GODS OF MARS (1979)
Acrylic - 25" x 34"

This is one of my favorite books in the series, and there were many scenes I could have chosen to illustrate. 1/6
John Carter fights side-by-side with Tars Tarkas. In Barsoomian fashion, John Carter is completely naked. He pierces the chest of a blue plant man with a skilled thrust of his rapier. The anatomy of his green alien companion is fascinating in that Tars Tarkas has a second torso stacked on the first. He towers over all around him. Two large tusks jut fiercely out of his lower jaw, and his eyes are set on the side of his head. Tars Tarkas draws back a rapier in one of his four arms. His other lower arm guards with rapier held laterally. The two allies are framed by a milky white boulder with a shiny gold vein running through it. Despite outnumbering the two heroes, the plant men seem to find only death in their approach up the red grassy hill. In addition to the troop of plant men, white apes with four arms approach from out of the trees. Above the scene, two craggy moons hang in clear blue skies above the gold rimmed valley where the fighting takes place.
November 22, 2023 at 4:00 PM
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90sanimepics.bsky.social
90’s anime aesthetics
November 17, 2023 at 10:16 AM
flower-wizard.bsky.social
Hauntingly beautiful..
youtube.com/watch?v=N9_A...
November 9, 2023 at 4:03 AM
flower-wizard.bsky.social
@lefalsenumber12.bsky.social Hello
October 31, 2023 at 3:48 PM
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michaelwhelan.bsky.social
DELIRIUM'S MISTRESS (1985)
Acrylic on Watercolor Board - 30" x 22"

Tanith Lee is such a visual writer of fantasy that she gives an artist an inspiring painting concept on nearly every page. She offers an inexhaustible supply of fascinating ideas. 1/3
Over the broken ruins of a fantastical city, a raven haired young woman takes flight on the back of a white lion. With golden eyes and azure mane, it spreads majestic raptor-like wings to soar. As she scans the distance, her eyes signal concern. Wind whips her hair back and billows her cloak. The silky fabric evokes magic in its pattern, black trimmed in red with a regal gold-dotted motif. Wispy tendrils of clouds trace powder blue skies, suggesting an upward drift of air current.
October 30, 2023 at 2:41 PM
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jtp.bsky.social
big things are happening on twitter 1
August 20, 2023 at 12:47 PM
flower-wizard.bsky.social
@txsinatrafan.bsky.social Thanks for the invite code sir! I'm getting acclimated here so I have no idea what I'm doing just yet.😂
August 18, 2023 at 11:07 PM
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opus.ing
20 years ago today, Broadcast released their second album, "Haha Sound," on Warp Records. Even after two decades, it still strikes a perfect balance between psychedelic experimentation, catchy pop melodies, and heartfelt emotion. https://opuszine.us/reviews/haha-sound-broadcast-2003-warp-records
“Haha Sound” by Broadcast (Review) - Opus
The songs have an experimental, unpredictable feel to them but never lose their listenability or catchiness.
opuszine.us
August 11, 2023 at 8:06 PM
flower-wizard.bsky.social
Cheers!
August 18, 2023 at 10:53 PM