POKÉMANIAC SIPH wants to fight! @Siphonay

2 posts2 participants0 posts today

**Michael Whelan** @MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art · 19h

Michael Whelan @MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art

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. 1/2

Stepping through a break in a wall made of ammonite fossil spirals, an adolescent girl with straight blonde hair clutches a glass pyramid to her chest. An owl perches on her shoulder with wings flared as if taking off or just landing. A plain brown cloak wraps across her shoulders mostly covering the darker tunic beneath. The ends of a long green sash, tied at her waist, dangles down to loose white stockings. A squirrel stops at her feet to snack on a nut. In front of her, leaves are strewn about the perfectly manicured lawn, which quickly gives way to placid water. Uniform stone blocks border the water's edge. Behind her, a mass of clouds billow. Thinner clouds cross dramatically on a diagonal giving the sky a hint of motion.

#personalvisions #imaginativerealism #fineart

19h

**Michael Whelan** @MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art · 2d

Michael Whelan @MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art

SUNFLOWER (2010)
Acrylic on Panel - 12" x 18"

It's her sanctuary...an echo of something I experienced when I was younger.

Anyone familiar with my work will know how much I’m drawn to concrete. Images like this pop into my head at unexpected times. 1/2

A girl in yellow jacket hugs a teddy bear while standing at the center of a Fibonacci spiral that unwinds labyrinth-like on the face of a domed structure. Off panel in the foreground, the sun squats low casting long shadows of skeletal trees across weathered concrete. The sliver of sky overhead is cloudy gray. Geese flap by in chevron formation migrating toward skeletal trees lit with golden light, warmth revealed at the edge of the retreating dome as it slopes downward toward an unseen horizon.

#personalvisions #imaginativerealism #fineart

**Michael Whelan** @MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art · Mar 13

Michael Whelan @MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art

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

A woman in a plain dress with long billowing sleeves walks atop a high canopy of leaves. As she approaches the edge, she seems unaware of any danger. Her eyes are fixed indirectly off-panel. The warm glow of sunset washes over her and paints the sky in tranquil layers of peach and lavender. Absently the woman holds a ribbon strung between her hands. With the implied motion of her step, the ribbon brushes her thigh as a red glass heart dangles behind bobbing at the end of its loop. Sinuous trunks of thick textured wood support the flat-top of the canopy upon which she walks. Seeking perch, crows glide between the slithering tendrils that support her. The dichotomy of worlds is clear; the vantage above offers no perspective of below and what holds it all up.

#personalvisions #imaginativerealism #fineart

Mar 13

**Michael Whelan** @MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art · Mar 11

Michael Whelan @MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art

THE REACH (1999)
Acrylic on Canvas - 48" x 30"

Almost a Lumen painting, in which figures are trying to work their way out of enclosed spaces and get into the light. 1/2

In a vast chamber lined with square concrete panels, a woman grips an iron ring to hang suspended in a sideways T. A taut chain extends from the ring on a diagonal down to another metal loop where she anchors her bare feet. Gravity tugs on her fiery orange hair as she reaches down to touch a broad band of mist. The hood of her loose white top spills down as do both sleeves, one bunching at the shoulder to expose her arm—her torso prevents it from falling farther—while unobstructed the other sleeve billows loosely. There is some curvature to the wall behind her, which tapers inward at the top. Boards are tacked in staggered lines extending ladder-like up the wall. A grungy tactile delight, the place looks weathered with tattered cloth draping the concrete in places. A variety of openings are covered by rusty grates or metal plates.

#personalvisions #imaginativerealism #fineart

Mar 11

**Michael Whelan** @MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art · Mar 6

Michael Whelan @MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art

UNWINDING (2021)
Acrylic on Gessobord - 10" x 11 ½”

The paintings in The End of Nature series are concerned with our relationship to the environment and how we need to care for it. Here, the young boy takes a moment to just enjoy it. 1/3

A tightening concrete spiral overgrown with moss takes the shape of a huge flower unwinding. A boy sits on the outer edge of the spiral with one leg dangling down and the other knee up with hands cupped around it.

#personalvisions #imaginativerealism #fineart

Mar 6

**Michael Whelan** @MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art · Feb 25

Michael Whelan @MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art

THE DIVINING HEART (2005)
Acrylic on Canvas - 36" x 24"

"Stepping stones" of ammonite fossils represent the lessons of history and are the only havens of safety for the figure in the foreground. 1/2

A dark haired beauty stands on a spiral fossil that rises barely above the surface of shallow water. A path of these ammonite stepping stone meanders out across placid water past a natural breakwater of rocks but doesn't quite reach the horizon. She doesn't appear to notice the path forward; she's stopped to admire a red glass heart that dangles from a cord. Her eyes aren't fixed on it though as her thoughts retreat inward. The pure white cloth draping her body spills down to reveal the bare skin of her back.

#personalvisions #imaginativerealism #fineart

Feb 25

**Michael Whelan** @MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art · Feb 18

Michael Whelan @MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art

GLIMPSE (1992)
Acrylic on Canvas - 48" x 36"

I think this is the first time I used the red glass heart as a symbol for the immediate and/or material possessions. 1/2

A young woman in a short lavender dress sits with one knee under her and her other leg flared to the side. As she rests her weight comfortably on one arm, palm planted on the sand, her eyes settle on a red glass heart that she slowly draws across the sand by a string. A crack in the concrete wall behind her casts a sliver of light onto the sand. Through the tall meandering crack calm water can be seen in the distance. The crack splits the corner of a yellow triangle painted point down and worn. In the upper right, five-pointed white stars that carry off panel form an arc over eroding blue paint. A sign on the left reads "Armenia" but is cut off at the R. Rust stains trail from holes in the paneled concrete. Among the debris along the base of the wall is a rusty anchor and a broken ladder resting on its side.

#personalvisions #imaginativerealism #fineart

Feb 18

**Michael Whelan** @MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art · Feb 13

Michael Whelan @MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art

EDGEDANCER (2002)
Acrylic on Gessoboard - 28" x 22"

A cautionary, “All good things come to an end...”

While she dances away her day, the ground which supports her erodes into nothingness.

https://www.michaelwhelan.com/galleries/edgedancer/

A woman in a white linen shawl dances carefree along a high grassy ridge that bends and twists into the hazy distance. She glances not at the narrow footing ahead but off to the side. Her arms are out for balance while her eyes are pressed shut as if she's lost in thought. Far ahead along the upper edge of the painting breaks are visible along the ridge. Vertical segments stand like the legs of a broken bridge with gray sky showing through as the wall-like rim meanders to the edge of the painting and back. Shorter impassable segments come more frequently as the trail winds back into nothingness. The woman sees none of it as she daintily high steps in the foreground. Low clusters of wildflowers sit lilac on the verdant green grass as the occasional butterfly hovers nearby.

Detail from EDGEDANCER featuring the woman in white linen shawl with the high grassy ridge winding in front of her until it fades in the hazy distance.

Close detail from EDGEDANCER of a woman with shoulder length blonde hair wearing a white linen shawl. Her arms are out for balance as she high steps along a high grassy ridge.

#personalvisions #imaginativerealism #fineart

Feb 13

**Michael Whelan** @MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art · Feb 11

Michael Whelan @MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art

THE CROSSING (1997)
Oil on Canvas - 30" X 60"

The uncertainty of and inescapable attraction to the concept of life after death.

All of my Passage works use the dream-object of the lighted bubbles—symbols of spirit or unfettered consciousness—to convey the idea of movement from one state of mind to another, a transition to a more open and lighted place; a release.

https://www.michaelwhelan.com/galleries/crossing/

In a grassy field stands a leafless tree with limbs bowing gracefully left. Bathed in golden light, bare branches twist and spread like blood vessels against pale sky. Shadow falls across a trunk mostly stripped of bark, and several splintered limbs lie lifeless on the nearby ground. Extending in a line from this gnarly detritus, mist rises off well-manicured lawn as if the ground itself is exhaling. A transparent sphere containing a single flame floats low across the land while a small stream meanders, falling directly behind the sphere as if guiding it along an intended path. Barely visible in a lemony wash that defines soft rolling hills, a white starburst—possibly another sphere blinking out—sits far afield, tinting the bushy topped trees that line the background distance.

Detail from THE CROSSING featuring a transparent sphere containing a solitary flame, floating over a fallen branch resting on plush green grass. The sphere intersects the line of a tiny stream that meanders off in the distance. To the left, mist rises off the softly rolling grass. In the distance, bushy topped trees stand hazy, shifting in hue to yellow on the right.

Detail from THE CROSSING featuring the leafless husk of a tree. The limbs are twisted bowing to the left. Several branches have splintered off and fallen to the ground where they lay on the plush grass. Below the branches, the trunk is mostly stripped of bark. Far afield, another sphere winks out in a subtle starbust that blends into the lemony wash near the horizon.

#personalvisions #imaginativerealism #fineart

Feb 11

**Michael Whelan** @MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art · Feb 6

Michael Whelan @MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art

THE LEAVETAKING (1992)
Oil on Canvas - 18" x 48"

I planned for this to be a large "preliminary" for a new work in his Passage series that I would paint in oils. 1/3

On a gently arching slope of smooth sand, a woman is down on all fours with her head resting against a transparent sphere glowing with golden light. Her eyes are closed and her expression peaceful as she wraps arms around the sphere. A long white satin cloak mostly covers her but she appears to be naked underneath. One leg is drawn up to her chest and the other extends back as the fabric ripples as it recedes down the slope. Behind her is a cloudy lavender sky.

#personalvisions #imaginativerealism #fineart

Feb 6

**Michael Whelan** @MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art · Feb 4

Michael Whelan @MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art

FLOWERS AND WEEDS (1997)
Acrylic on Canvas - 36" X 48"

When my son Adrian was 3 or 4 years old, we used to go to an abandoned construction site where there were huge slabs of concrete embedded with iron reinforcing rods. 1/4

In black t-shirt and jeans, a 10 year old boy kneels on the bare foundation of a building. Rusted rebar sticks out from the ground casting long shadows. In front of the boy a patch of vegetation grows wild through a square gap in the concrete. The growth is mostly weeds mixed with a vibrant purple wildflowers. The boy's hand pauses at the edge of the square where a single yellow flower grows. Another apparent gap in the concrete next to him is covered by wooden boards so that nothing shows through.

#personalvisions #imaginativerealism #fineart

Feb 4

**Michael Whelan** @MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art · Jan 30

Michael Whelan @MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art

Artistic nudity

CAUSEWAY (1992)
Oil on Canvas - 48" X 36"

The colors came from a foggy morning walk at a reservoir near my home.

https://www.michaelwhelan.com/galleries/causeway/
1/4

#personalvisions #imaginativerealism #fineart

Jan 30

**Michael Whelan** @MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art · Jan 28

Michael Whelan @MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art

ASYLUM (2001)
Acrylic On Panel - 22" x 28"

Another double entendre title—for "asylum" can infer both confinement and security. But is she really attaining both?

https://www.michaelwhelan.com/galleries/asylum/

Light cuts across a stone spiral leaving a sharp contrast of shadow and light on the curving walls. A blonde woman rests both hands on the concrete barrier as she peers over, her face illuminated. The wall wraps around her in a tight spiral, the same curve as an ammonite fossil as it unwinds from the origin where she stands. The damp sand is littered with smooth rocks and eventually covered with standing water that reflects the rectangular casted segments of the concrete walls.

Detail from ASYLUM featuring a tighter view of the inside of the stone spiral and the shadows falling across it. The sun illuminates the face of a woman at the center of the spiral as she peers over the wall in front of her, resting her hands just below the edge as if she is on tip toes. Smooth rocks of various size and color are strewn upon the damp sand. Shallow water pools reflecting seams of the concrete.

Close detail from ASYLUM featuring a woman with shoulder length blonde hair at the center of the concrete spiral. She rests hands just below the edge of the stone wall, and the sun cuts an angle across her as she peeks over. She wears an immaculate white dress with low cut neckline and thin straps.

#personalvisions #imaginativerealism #fineart

Jan 28

**Michael Whelan** @MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art · Jan 23

Michael Whelan @MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art

THE MAD POET (1982)
Acrylic on Watercolor Board - 12 ½" x 17 ½"

Since its inclusion in the back matter of THE ART OF MICHAEL WHELAN, this small painting has elicited a strong response from fans. 1/2

An artist—lost in the moment when either magic happens or madness takes hold—leans over his writing table with quill in hand. The cuffs of his blue shirt are undone, not rolled neatly but drawn up hastily as if to give his arms release from confinement. As he stares over, his gaze bores into the viewer, half accusing, half pleading. A glossy sheen reflects in one eye as moonlight illuminates that side of his face. His head rests on tense fingers that seem to push into his troubled thoughts. Sandy brown hair hangs tousled, the ends clearly slick with sweat. Figures, both horrific and temptingly curvaceous, warp in the abstract smoke that wafts past from a squat candle burning low. Nearly extinguished, the wick glows. All signs indicate that he's been there awhile. The ornate candlestick is dull silver, speaking to some ritual in the curl of horns and goat faced demon at its top. Stars dot the dim blue sky in the windows beyond. The lower pane of glass is shattered.

#personalvisions #imaginativerealism

Jan 23

**Michael Whelan** @MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art · Jan 21

Michael Whelan @MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art

LUMEN 6 (1999)
Acrylic on Panel - 32" x 32"

Looking for the way to the light, a moment of discovery at last. 1/2

A young woman wearing an oversized red tunic and blue jeans stands barefoot on a ladder high up in an enormous chamber. Patterned with recessed panels, the wall gives the impression of a vast ancient library with no books on the shelves. The wall curves suggesting the space might possibly go on forever. As she props opens a panel and stoops to peer out, her straight blonde hair is swept to one side so we can see her face bathed in light. The light pouring in cuts a downward diagonal past a transparent sphere that dangles from a wide silver ring looped at her waist, although the top half of the ring is obscured by the drape of her shirt.

#personalvisions #imaginativerealism #fineart

Jan 21

**Michael Whelan** @MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art · Jan 16

Michael Whelan @MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art

EMPIRE OF DREAMS (2005)
Acrylic on Gessoboard - 28" x 22"

A world of concrete works in disarray, thrown about by some unknown cataclysm. 1/3

Seated high atop a slender concrete support, a woman sits hugging her knees. The hem of her white dress spills down from her perch. As seen through the tilted wreckage of stone slabs, her face is bathed in light. As she faces a sun unseen, long shadows fall behind her, cast by the rebar protruding from the nearest facade. The surface is chipped, pitted and worn through to expose the rusted skeleton beneath once smoothly constructed stone. In the immediate foreground, a key hangs looped over a short outcrop of rebar.

#personalvisions #imaginativerealism #fineart

Jan 16

**Michael Whelan** @MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art · Jan 14

Michael Whelan @MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art

Artistic nudity

KAIROS (2007)
Acrylic - 24" x 36"

I didn't want to just call this PRUDENCE 3, so I looked all over for a word that captured the idea of the painting and KAIROS is the only one that fit.

https://www.michaelwhelan.com/galleries/kairos/
1/5

#personalvisions #imaginativerealism #fineart

Jan 14

**Michael Whelan** @MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art · Jan 9

Michael Whelan @MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art

FLIGHT OF DISCOVERY (2013)
Acrylic on Canvas - 16" x 12"

The stonework was based on ruins we saw in Wales, near a place called Three Cliffs on the Gower Peninsula. We had spent most of the day walking on the gorgeous beach there and looking for fossils in the rocks nearby. 1/4