I, REPTILIUS (2019) by Michael Whelan
The ninth installment in his 2019 LEFTOVERS & PALETTE GREMLINS gallery project.
Source: michaelwhelan.com
THE WITCHING TREE (2019) by Michael Whelan
The seventh installment in his 2019 LEFTOVERS & PALETTE GREMLINS gallery project
An accidental shape on a scrap of illustration board evoked a sort of Lovecraftian tree.
The board originally had a figure sketch on it from the work I did for Lucca Comics & Games. When I saw it turned 90 degrees sideways I was struck by the shapes and one thing lead to another…the figures turned into a “tree”.
Executed with leftover acrylics from an underpainting on a gallery piece that I’m currently working on.
Source: michaelwhelan.com
BRIDE OF DARKNESS (2019) by Michael Whelan
The sixth installment in his 2019 LEFTOVERS & PALETTE GREMLINS gallery project
I like using old scraps of book paper for wiping off my brush–the marks so often look like something suggestive to my imagination. Here’s another splash of acrylic paint turned into something.
Source: michaelwhelan.com
FEATHERHEAD (2019) by Michael Whelan
The fifth installment in his 2019 LEFTOVERS & PALETTE GREMLINS gallery project.
Just a critter I saw in a blob of paint and brought into focus. No deep thought or meaning in my head, just a sort of doodle in paint.
Source: michaelwhelan.com
THE CITY ON TIME’S HORIZON (2019) by Michael Whelan
The first installment in his 2019 LEFTOVERS & PALETTE GREMLINS gallery project
The board used here was previously employed while mixing colors for the cover of Empire of Grass by Tad Williams. Some of the brush marks looked to me like a futuristic city, so that’s what it turned into. I suppose doing an SF image was a rebellion of sorts against so many fantasy commissions these past few years.
Source: michaelwhelan.com
SOMETHING FISHY THIS WAY COMES (2018) by Michael Whelan
The tenth installment in his 2018 LEFTOVERS & PALETTE GREMLINS gallery project
Like most palette gremlins, this was just something I happened to “see” in the blobs of paint on the paper.
The night before, I was talking to Bob Mellilo (friend, helper, and huge Phish fan) about a riff he kept hearing in a Phish set. Auds and I agreed it was probably derived from an old 60s song titled “Pictures of Matchstick Men” but the riff also made me think of an instrumental piece by YES called “The Fish”. Maybe in some obscure way that influenced me.
Included are several shots of the palette and my take on what I saw there. #2 - The palette paper as I found it. #3 - Turned around because I thought I saw something fishy there. #4 - A few lines I drew in with a pencil. The top image, of course, is what I ended up with.
Source: michaelwhelan.com
STARCASTER (2018) by Michael Whelan
The ninth installment in his 2018 LEFTOVERS & PALETTE GREMLINS gallery project.
This one grew out of a splatter of raw umber on a sheet of gray palette paper. I fiddled with it almost as an afterthought and liked where it was going enough that I took a photo before adding anything. Over the weekend I spent time bringing it into sharper focus.
Source: michaelwhelan.com
PRIMAL NATURE (2018) by Michael Whelan
The seventh installment in his 2018 LEFTOVERS & PALETTE GREMLINS gallery project
When I came in for lunch a few days ago, I saw on a section of palette paper on my work table what looked like the face of one of the man-apes from the “Dawn of Man” sequence in 2001: A Space Odyssey. I couldn’t resist going in with black acrylic paint and embellishing to reflect what I was seeing in my mind.
This whole thing was sparked by Space Odyssey, a fascinating book by Michael Benson about the making of the film. I have to thank George Beahm for the gift. He knows the film is my all-time favorite and how much I would appreciate such a detailed examination of the film’s creation. I’ve read it three times now, and as you can see have made copious notes.
Source: michaelwhelan.com
DRAGONET DANCE (2018) by Michael Whelan
The fourth installment in his 2018 LEFTOVER’S & PALETTE GREMLINS gallery project.
This began as a demo piece, working from a doodle done by an audience member. It went unfinished until I discovered it in my studio last week. Completed with oils leftover from another painting.
Source: michaelwhelan.com
NEPTUNE’S DAUGHTER (2018) by Michael Whelan
The fourth installment in his 2018 LEFTOVER’S & PALETTE GREMLINS gallery project.
While washing out a Japanese sumi brush at the end of a painting session, I snatched a scrap of paper out of my wastebasket. Before rinsing off the brush, I executed strokes with the soapy acrylic paint and enjoyed playing with the bubbly textures that came out of it. After painting a half circle on the paper, I set it aside and went back to washing out the brush.
The next morning when I glanced at the paper, I thought it looked like a hat or crown. My imagination kicked into gear and I added more in colored pencil over the acrylic paint to complete the image.
I suspect the influence came from the song “Can’t Get It Out of My Head” which we saw exquisitely performed by Jeff Lynne in concert at Madison Square Garden recently.
Can’t Get It Out of My Head - Electric Light Orchestra
Midnight, on the water
I saw the ocean’s daughter
Walking on a waves she came
Staring as she called my name
And I can’t get it out of my head
No, I can’t get it out of my head
Now my whole world is gone for dead
‘Cause I can’t get it out of my head
Breakdown on the shoreline
Can’t move, it’s an ebbtide
Morning, don’t get here tonight
Searching for her silver light
Source: michaelwhelan.com
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