Michael Everett
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stateofgrays.bsky.social
Michael Everett
@stateofgrays.bsky.social
140 followers 120 following 290 posts
In another life I was a purveyor of books. Now I write them. I also manage the website of @michaelwhelan.bsky.social (including original art sales & social media).
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stateofgrays.bsky.social
Why does Pol looks so young on the cover of Skybowl? We know that’s him because of Azhdeen.

If that’s him on Dragon Token, he’s 30 years too old in the previous book.

The scene from DT is the flight into the desert. We know it’s Sioned because of the grief on her face and the steadying hand.
Detail from THE DRAGON’S SWORD he wears a red scarf around his neck and his long hair is tied in a ponytail. He holds a plain steel sword with a guard curving from hilt to pommel to protect his leather gloved hand. His opposite hand rests on the shoulder of a woman standing with her eyes closed in grief. His eyes are slit as he glances back to the audience. Detail from DRAGON LORD featuring a man in chain armor and tattered cloak with a bandage wrapping his head. He holds out a sword as his hand ignites in blue green flame. A majestic red and gold dragon perches on the rock with him extending wings.
November 11, 2025 at 2:15 PM
stateofgrays.bsky.social
Not sure where the cover paintings will finish at Live auction, but bids on Heritage are fascinating. That’s a record already for the Asimov concept.
Tracked art list for Heritage Auctions. Current bids: QUESTION AND ANSWER $3,500, THE GODS LAUGHED $7,500, and preliminary concept for FOUNDATION’S EDGE $10,000
November 4, 2025 at 4:46 PM
stateofgrays.bsky.social
Found on the white board of a library collab room last week.
Stick figure drawing backed by a cloud with the words: supervillen, smoke, and fancy shoes.
November 2, 2025 at 10:49 AM
stateofgrays.bsky.social
There's a notable SFF auction that opens at Heritage in a few weeks that includes a pair of Michael's cover paintings for Poul Anderson.

ICYMI, you can view the Barry Lamka collection here:

fineart.ha.com/c/search/res...
QUESTION AND ANSWER (1977) - A man stands with a shovel in hand as he regards a cairn set with a makeshift cross made of wood and twine. Around him is a mixed group of humans and bipedal aliens. The humans drop their heads dejectedly. The alien bodies resemble that of a kangaroo while the head, ears, and stripes are reminiscent of a lynx. The scene is set against a pearlescent pink and lavender sky with a huge craggy moon hanging low and another smaller moon floating high above. THE GODS LAUGHED (1981) - A man in white spacesuit stands meekly gripping the lip of his helmet with both hands. He cranes his neck to peer up at the enormous figures of aliens towering over him at 3-4 times his height. The aliens seem to be oblivious to the spaceman's presence as they gesture casually and converse.
October 5, 2025 at 4:25 PM
stateofgrays.bsky.social
This dog goes down deep…under the cushions.
Lola emerges from under the cushions of the couch. Her ears are flapped back to expose the pinks and she has one paw forward as she stares with brown puppy dog eyes at the camera
September 20, 2025 at 5:10 PM
stateofgrays.bsky.social
Buh-bye. You know why.
Disney logo in the upper right with the text "Ok, your subscription has been cancelled."
September 19, 2025 at 8:54 PM
stateofgrays.bsky.social
Overdue pupdate…Lola is obsessed with garbage trucks. And this tiny lizard that hangs around our cans.
Goofy black dog staring off the balcony at a garbage truck. Small green lizard just below the word “TRASH” on the lid of a garbage bin.
September 3, 2025 at 3:36 PM
stateofgrays.bsky.social
It took a week to see the orthopedist and get fitted for the removable cast.

12 days later, the bruising has faded on the side of my wrist but is still bad on the inside. Still icing it. Still having hard time finding a comfortable position sleeping with it elevated.
August 14, 2025 at 4:56 PM
stateofgrays.bsky.social
Additional pupdate adding to the newsletter...webmaster down!

Lola upended me at the park yesterday and sent me sprawling. I fractured my left radius and probably my wrist. Have to get a CT to confirm that tomorrow.

Fortunately I'm not in pain and Lola is ok.
Awkward photo of Mike leaning back on the coach after getting back from urgent care. His wrist is in a brace and arm in a sling.
August 3, 2025 at 3:20 PM
stateofgrays.bsky.social
The creek was dry when I rescued Lola two weeks ago. Glad I got her when I did.

The second photo was after the rain and flooding we had here.
Stray dog wandering in a dry creek bed The same creek two weeks later, the day after heavy rains flooded central Texas.
July 14, 2025 at 2:51 AM
stateofgrays.bsky.social
Overtures are being made.

No pics of the face-to-face since I had to be attending Lola, but she was submissive with Piper. Tiny cat was hissing and swiping when Lola got too close, but good girl is doing her part. She walked up to Pipes with tail wagging this evening.
Lola (dog) in her crate with towel and toys looking out at something off camera Piper (cat) nestled under the table looking toward Lola off camera Piper steps out from under the table and stretches Piper approaches from the opposite side of the crate, getting braver
July 1, 2025 at 2:28 PM
stateofgrays.bsky.social
“I don’t tell you how to pick up my poops. You dont tell me how to hold a stick, poop handler.”

- Lola the insult comic dog (apologies to Robert Smigel).
Lola on leash standing on grass. She turns back to respond to her name. She’s home a stick pointed forward so it resembles a cigar.
June 29, 2025 at 2:25 PM
stateofgrays.bsky.social
Rescued a pup that I’ve been seeing during my daily walks at the park. No chip to scan when I reported her found. Likely dumped at the park.

Her name is Lola (like the song). She wouldn’t let me pet her yesterday morning. It’s been all love since she got in the car.
Day one - A brown/black stray dog perches on a rock in the park. Her head is tilted as she looks curiously at the camera. She’s clearly a bully breed with a white patch on her chest. Day one - The stray tentatively peeks under a traffic barrier to the sidewalk at the edge of a bridge. Day one - Closeup of brown/black stray down turning her head to the side. The background is pretty green leaves. Day two - Lola, as she has now been named, has been loaded in the car with the help of a couple of good samaritans and some doggie treats. She sits in the backseat, peeking her head around the headrest of the passenger seat. Her tongue is out and she’s looking directly at the camera.
June 28, 2025 at 4:35 PM
stateofgrays.bsky.social
20% OFF PRINTS in our shop—one day only!

No coupon code necessary. Discount will be applied automatically. Sale ends on Thursday 4/10/2025 at 11am ET.

www.michaelwhelan.com/shop/reprodu...
ONE DAY SALE! 20% OFF PRINTS - advertisement for sale featuring the painting SPRINKLES. A pixie rides a small tan bunny with his legs straddling either side of its neck. He glances up at clouds tinged with gray and holds out his hands as if feeling for drops of rain. His other hand rests gently on the bunny's head. Yellow leaves litter the brush where they rest. Stems of plants angle above but provide little cover.
April 9, 2025 at 2:12 PM
stateofgrays.bsky.social
I have permission to post SOMETHING IN MY EYE every day for the next 4 years. Everyone down with that?
SOMETHING IN MY EYE by Michael Whelan. A man with spiky bleach blonde hair and a punk aesthetic pushes his finger through his eye socket to crowd the adjacent orbital with two brown eyes. Squished together the shapes are distorted and no longer round. Leaning into the poke, his face contorts with the gruesome display. His neck is off-center with the collar of his slick leather jacket, which slides down the round of his shoulder. A thick rubber band twists on his wrist which is also adorned with a braided leather cord, a beaded bracelet and more.
November 6, 2024 at 9:00 PM
stateofgrays.bsky.social
FORTITUDE (1997) by Michael Whelan

Testing to see if my personal account experiences the same "glitch" or if Michael's account is in some kind of super secret probation.
A muscular man stands on an island made of broken ammonite fossils. He wears no clothes except a long white scarf that loosely winds around him. In his hands, he holds an uprooted tree, long and thin, as he faces turbulent seas. In the distance, waves crash into another mound of ammonites, shooting spray upward as water envelops the tiny island.
October 18, 2024 at 3:59 PM
stateofgrays.bsky.social
This river? Glass houses, my friend... 😂

(Said with love. I'm also from Chicago.)
Photo of downtown Chicago with the river dyed green for St Patrick's day.
October 17, 2024 at 3:35 PM
stateofgrays.bsky.social
There's more to the story on today's post that I didn't want to focus on in-thread, but I'll share here.

ROYAL ASSASSIN was one of the deciding factors when Michael made the leap to fine art. The sour experience of art direction by marketing department led him to decline book 3.
Note on the back of the cover flat: "This book cover is one of the reasons why I want to break away from illustrating for a while—even though the guy's weapon of choice thruout the book is an axe—and the author goes out of his way to point it out—the editors at this bk company demanded that I put a _sword_ in his hand instead!
August 14, 2024 at 4:29 PM
stateofgrays.bsky.social
And here it is low intensity, slowest render. Still not good.
Untitled Elric by Michael Whelan Glazed at low intensity and Nightshade at low intensity, slowest render
August 4, 2024 at 4:48 PM
stateofgrays.bsky.social
Even at low intensity, fast render is still distorting the image.
Untitled Elric by Michael Whelan Glazed at low intensity and Nightshade at low intensity (fast render)
August 4, 2024 at 4:33 PM
stateofgrays.bsky.social
Untitled Elric painting by @michaelwhelan.bsky.social

I'm working Nightshade into my routine starting this morning. 5 min for glaze and 2.5 min for shading.

Original (1), Glazed at low intensity (2), and Nightshade at default intensity (3)
Detail of Elric in black armor and dragon helm seated on the high branch of a dead tree. White hair flows straight over pauldrons that flare like charred moth wings. A skull rests on Elric's leg which rests along the branch, anchoring anchors against his opposite knee for balance. A dagger is planted in the opposite branch. Two fingers wrap the grip as he thumbs the pommel delicately. Beneath his perch the sun glows the palest yellow, the bottom half draped with the bleak atmosphere of the wastelands. Untitled Elric by Michael Whelan Glazed at low intensity Untitled Elric by Michael Whelan Glazed at low intensity and Nightshade at default intensity
August 4, 2024 at 4:29 PM
stateofgrays.bsky.social
I'm testing out Substack as part of the pivot away from Meta. This will tie into and expand on our regular newsletter. We're not sending out emails yet, but you'll find daily art posts there.

theartofmichaelwhelan.substack.com
Screenshot of home screen on Substack including the headline post of WEYRWORLD and a feed of posts from last week.
July 29, 2024 at 5:14 PM
stateofgrays.bsky.social
Saturday's post THE DARK TOWER: THREE KINGS by @michaelwhelan.bsky.social

Original (1) and Glazed at low (2) and default (3) intensity
A trio of bearded Stephen Kings pose in buttoned up navy peacoats with sweaters underneath. The central King stands upright with eyes pressed flat while rubbing his hands. At each side, his companions lean in. On the left is a serious King with hands tucked into his pockets. On the right is a humored King with an expression that says, "What?" as his hands are out, palms up. An unkindness of ravens approaches overhead flying in a zigzag pattern. THE DARK TOWER: THREE KINGS by Michael Whelan Glazed at low intensity THE DARK TOWER: THREE KINGS by Michael Whelan Glazed at default intensity
July 28, 2024 at 3:06 PM
stateofgrays.bsky.social
Friday's post of THE MULE by @michaelwhelan.bsky.social

Original (1) and Glazed at low (2) and high (3) intensity
A once grand planetary metropolis falls into ruin as massive pillars crash in every direction. Standing casually in the wreckage, an emaciated figure in harlequin garb leans back with knee raised as he plays a futuristic string instrument. A ridiculous ruffled collar makes him look clownish as does the clashing pattern of stars on his shirt and checker board pants, all white on red satin. A tattered pink handkerchief is tied about his calf, but his boots sparkle. His short blonde hair is tussled over a brow raised in question. With his head tilted, his eyes catch the viewer in a knowing glance. His lips are curled in an almost smile. THE MULE by Michael Whelan Glazed at low intensity THE MULE by Michael Whelan Glazed at default intensity
July 27, 2024 at 2:22 PM
stateofgrays.bsky.social
Thursday's post of PRUDENCE II by
@michaelwhelan.bsky.social

Original (1) and Glazed at low (2) and default (3) intensity
A woman wrapped in a sheet of white fabric contemplates a red glass heart held at arm's length. The glow of light from behind bathes her long, wavy red hair. She holds her left arm extended exposing one bare breast from beneath the folds of cloth. The pale skin of her arm catches highlights of golden light. Between thumb and forefinger, she pinches a thin red ribbon weighed down by the small glass heart. The wall behind her is made of rough olive stone set with brown ammonite fossils in relief. PRUDENCE II by Michael Whelan Glazed at low intensity PRUDENCE II by Michael Whelan Glazed at default intensity
July 26, 2024 at 12:42 PM