PENDULUM (1999)Acrylic on Panel - 11" x 9" At times the light of knowledge seems to only illuminate the negative side of our existence and becomes a burden to the spirit. He is considering letting it go—"ignorance is bliss"—as he makes his difficult journey towards the light of the sky far, far above.https://www.michaelwhelan.com/galleries/leap-of-faith/#personalvisions #imaginativerealism #fineart #fadedstar

THE GUNSLINGER: THE TEMPLE OF THE ORACLE (1982)Acrylic on Illustration Board - 20" X 30" In this double-page spread from The Gunslinger, the hero has just taken Mescaline. 1/3

STORMBRINGER (1977)Acrylic on Masonite - 30" x 20" I remember trying to get in the mood of painting for the last time the albino sorcerer king, Elric. I took a clothes rail out of a closet for my sword and ran around outside slashing at weeds and lunging at the breeze. 1/5#fantasy #fantasyart #sff #illustration #michaelmoorcock #elric #dawbooks

In this week's newsletter, behind the scenes illustrating a modern fantasy classic...The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson!https://theartofmichaelwhelan.substack.com/p/shaping-roshar

BEOWULF'S CHILDREN (1995)Watercolor and Acrylic on Watercolor Board - 27" x 36"This sequel to THE LEGACY OF HEOROT provided a fascinating opportunity to explore the alien ecology of Tau Ceti. Cover illustration for the book by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, and Steven Barnes (TOR)https://www.michaelwhelan.com/galleries/beowulfs-children/#sciencefiction #sff #scifi #scifiart #illustration #larryniven #jerrypournelle #stevenbarnes #torbooks

OPEN (1992)Acrylic on Watercolor Board - 20" X 40"This painting represents a point of tangency between my Passage universe and the paintings in another series called Sanctuary. It seemed important to establish these connecting points before defining the individual themes in their entirety.https://www.michaelwhelan.com/galleries/open/