Donate To Keep The Site Ad Free
+ Reply to Thread
Page 3 of 33 FirstFirst 1 2 3 4 5 13 ... LastLast
Results 51 to 75 of 825

Thread: Michael Whelan, Artist

  1. #51
    Donkey Thief Mike Beck is on a distinguished road Mike Beck's Avatar

    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    in a house with many walls
    Posts
    1,261

    Default

    I ended up going to the lecture! me and my buddy got there just in time on our way back from jersey.

    michael whelan is awesome, as i'm sure a lot of you already knew. it was great to hear him talk about his life and career. this is a guy who did it. he loves what he does, and he puts everything into it. i could've listened to him talk all day.

    we saw a lot of slides. from his earliest work to his most recent. and eventhough the guy was amazing in his earliest paintings, he just massively improves by his latest paintings. he's fricken amazing. he showed some of his Dark Tower work, but didn't have a whole lot of time to get into them too much. he had already gone over the 4:00 mark, and had to kind of speed through some of it.

    wizardsrainbow, i think i saw you there with your kids? i didn't remember exactly what you looked like, and definitely didn't have the balls to walk up to someone that might've been weirded out when i said, "hi, it's me mike, from the dark tower.com."

    anyway, it was great to be there. i really enjoyed the lecture!

  2. #52
    Other worlds Patrick has a reputation beyond repute Patrick has a reputation beyond repute Patrick has a reputation beyond repute Patrick has a reputation beyond repute Patrick has a reputation beyond repute Patrick has a reputation beyond repute Patrick has a reputation beyond repute Patrick has a reputation beyond repute Patrick has a reputation beyond repute Patrick has a reputation beyond repute Patrick has a reputation beyond repute Patrick's Avatar

    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Northern California
    Posts
    14,732
    My Mood
    Yeehaw
    Country
    Country Flag
    Gender
    Gender

    Default

    I'd love to meet Whelan and listen to him give a talk like that. Thanks, Mike.
    "...that Siren which called and sang and promised so much and gave, after all, so little." ~ Ray Bradbury

  3. #53
    Wizard of End-World wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow's Avatar

    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Fairfield CT
    Posts
    5,096
    My Mood
    Busy
    Country
    Country Flag
    Gender
    Gender

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Beck View Post
    I ended up going to the lecture! me and my buddy got there just in time on our way back from jersey.

    michael whelan is awesome, as i'm sure a lot of you already knew. it was great to hear him talk about his life and career. this is a guy who did it. he loves what he does, and he puts everything into it. i could've listened to him talk all day.

    we saw a lot of slides. from his earliest work to his most recent. and eventhough the guy was amazing in his earliest paintings, he just massively improves by his latest paintings. he's fricken amazing. he showed some of his Dark Tower work, but didn't have a whole lot of time to get into them too much. he had already gone over the 4:00 mark, and had to kind of speed through some of it.

    wizardsrainbow, i think i saw you there with your kids? i didn't remember exactly what you looked like, and definitely didn't have the balls to walk up to someone that might've been weirded out when i said, "hi, it's me mike, from the dark tower.com."

    anyway, it was great to be there. i really enjoyed the lecture!
    Mike-
    Yes, I was there with my two sons. Man, you should have come up and introduced yourself! Man, I would have been flattered that you recognized me. Were you standing or sitting? You weren't the guy sitting in the first row were you?

    And for all you other Whelan fans out there....

    The room was set up for roughly 60-70 people and 140+ turned out according to Audrey and the Danbury library director. It was standing room only. Michael talked and showed slides for nearly 2 1/2 hours and held everyone's attention the entire time, even my two boys! He really did a fabulous job and you could tell just how passionate he was about his art. He sold lots and lots of signed prints after the show.

    Dragline : Nothin'. A handful of nothin'. You stupid mullet head. He beat you with nothin'. Just like today when he kept comin' back at me - with nothin'.
    Luke : Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand
    .



  4. #54
    Wizard of End-World wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow's Avatar

    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Fairfield CT
    Posts
    5,096
    My Mood
    Busy
    Country
    Country Flag
    Gender
    Gender

    Default

    On to the exciting part for me. My boys and I were able to go back to the Whelan home after the show (later joined by my wife and daughter who had birthday parties that afternoon). My kids had never been to the house before so it was a real treat for them to see so many of the original paintings....so much more impressive in person and up close then off of reproduced images in books or on web sites. We simply had a lovely dinner party/evening together with Michael and Audrey and a few other close friends of theirs.

    At the end of dinner, Michael went to get the "surprise" he has been saving for me. He was cleaning out his files and came across a very very old preliminary Dark Tower sketch that he had done in charcoal. It was apparently the only one he had saved (for reasons he doesn't remember).

    It is a preliminary sketch of Roland by the water for the Temple of the Oracle painting (original now owned by carlosdetweiller) that he did for the 1st edition Gunslinger published in 1982, so the charcoal sketch is at least 25 years old. Here it is:


    Dragline : Nothin'. A handful of nothin'. You stupid mullet head. He beat you with nothin'. Just like today when he kept comin' back at me - with nothin'.
    Luke : Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand
    .



  5. #55
    Wizard of End-World wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow's Avatar

    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Fairfield CT
    Posts
    5,096
    My Mood
    Busy
    Country
    Country Flag
    Gender
    Gender

    Default

    And a close-up


    Dragline : Nothin'. A handful of nothin'. You stupid mullet head. He beat you with nothin'. Just like today when he kept comin' back at me - with nothin'.
    Luke : Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand
    .



  6. #56
    Donkey Thief Mike Beck is on a distinguished road Mike Beck's Avatar

    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    in a house with many walls
    Posts
    1,261

    Default

    *is swelling with jealousy*

    you lucky..... man, that is really awesome. what a terrific gift!!

    i should have introduced myself. if we didn't have to rush out, i would have. and i probably would've exhausted my bank account trying to buy some of michael whelan's prints.


  7. #57
    Wizard of End-World wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow's Avatar

    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Fairfield CT
    Posts
    5,096
    My Mood
    Busy
    Country
    Country Flag
    Gender
    Gender

    Default

    Mike-

    I am sure we will run into each other some day...given that we live in the same town!!


    Here is a picture (bad camera work by me) of the Temple of the Oracle in the Gunslinger book for comparison.


    Dragline : Nothin'. A handful of nothin'. You stupid mullet head. He beat you with nothin'. Just like today when he kept comin' back at me - with nothin'.
    Luke : Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand
    .



  8. #58
    Hiiiiiiii. Spencer will become famous soon enough Spencer's Avatar

    Join Date
    May 2007
    Posts
    1,375
    Country
    Country Flag

    Default

    Holy WOW that's awesome!!!!!!! Thanks so much for sharing it!

  9. #59
    Donkey Thief Mike Beck is on a distinguished road Mike Beck's Avatar

    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    in a house with many walls
    Posts
    1,261

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by wizardsrainbow View Post
    Mike-

    I am sure we will run into each other some day...given that we live in the same town!!


    Here is a picture (bad camera work by me) of the Temple of the Oracle in the Gunslinger book for comparison.

    oh you know it! fairfield isn't that big.

    do you know if mr. whelan does these lectures often?

  10. #60
    Roont Matt will become famous soon enough Matt will become famous soon enough Matt's Avatar

    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Parachute, Colorado
    Posts
    17,620
    My Mood
    Psychedelic
    Country
    Country Flag
    Gender
    Gender

    Default

    This is simply...I don't have the words.

    I'm not sure I could think of anything cooler as far as illustrations are concerned. Congrats Wiz, what a wonderful thing.
    The kindness of close friends is like a warm blanket

  11. #61
    Wizard of End-World wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow's Avatar

    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Fairfield CT
    Posts
    5,096
    My Mood
    Busy
    Country
    Country Flag
    Gender
    Gender

    Default

    You're welcome. I am really over the moon about it.

    Michael did show me the pencil sketches he did for the upcoming Little Sisters/Gunslinger book and they are AWESOME! I just hope the book sees the light of day sometime soon!

    Dragline : Nothin'. A handful of nothin'. You stupid mullet head. He beat you with nothin'. Just like today when he kept comin' back at me - with nothin'.
    Luke : Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand
    .



  12. #62
    Wizard of End-World wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow's Avatar

    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Fairfield CT
    Posts
    5,096
    My Mood
    Busy
    Country
    Country Flag
    Gender
    Gender

    Default

    I was told this was the third such "show" Michael has done. The director of the Danbury public library is a long long long time friend of Michael's, so I know Michael did a similar talk in the past in Chappaqua NY and Brookfield for the same friend.

    Dragline : Nothin'. A handful of nothin'. You stupid mullet head. He beat you with nothin'. Just like today when he kept comin' back at me - with nothin'.
    Luke : Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand
    .



  13. #63
    Donkey Thief Mike Beck is on a distinguished road Mike Beck's Avatar

    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    in a house with many walls
    Posts
    1,261

    Default

    i really enjoyed it. i hope he does another one at some point.

  14. #64
    Goldmember carlosdetweiller has a reputation beyond repute carlosdetweiller has a reputation beyond repute carlosdetweiller has a reputation beyond repute carlosdetweiller has a reputation beyond repute carlosdetweiller has a reputation beyond repute carlosdetweiller has a reputation beyond repute carlosdetweiller has a reputation beyond repute carlosdetweiller has a reputation beyond repute carlosdetweiller has a reputation beyond repute carlosdetweiller has a reputation beyond repute carlosdetweiller has a reputation beyond repute

    Join Date
    May 2007
    Posts
    7,531

    Default

    That is a great gift. I hope you plan to frame it. I would.

    So, David, what do you think of the figures surrounding Roland? What do you think they are? I can't quite make them out. Slow mutants, maybe? Figments of his imagination?

    Michael once explained that the whole painting was somewhat hallucinatory. If you remember Roland had just ingested mescaline to facilitate his meeting with the oracle. That is the reason for the weird unnatural shading of green that dominates the painting. Roland is beginning to hallucinate.

    I've often wondered if the phallic nature of the temple stones was meant to be real or hallucinatory. Opinions, anyone?

    Another thing that is often missed is how Roland perceives his reflection in the pool. Sometimes the bottom of the painting is cropped when it is reproduced for a book. There is actually a skull grinning back at Roland!

    Photos attached.



    Close up of Roland's hallucinatory reflection.


  15. #65
    Donkey Thief Mike Beck is on a distinguished road Mike Beck's Avatar

    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    in a house with many walls
    Posts
    1,261

    Default

    holy crapoley!

    i never realized how amazing this illustration really is! thanks for posting, carlos.

  16. #66
    Gunslinger herbertwest has a reputation beyond repute herbertwest has a reputation beyond repute herbertwest has a reputation beyond repute herbertwest has a reputation beyond repute herbertwest has a reputation beyond repute herbertwest has a reputation beyond repute herbertwest has a reputation beyond repute herbertwest has a reputation beyond repute herbertwest has a reputation beyond repute herbertwest has a reputation beyond repute herbertwest has a reputation beyond repute herbertwest's Avatar

    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Paris, France
    Posts
    12,923
    Country
    Country Flag
    Gender
    Gender

    Default

    Woaw!

  17. #67
    Wizard of End-World wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow has a brilliant future wizardsrainbow's Avatar

    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Fairfield CT
    Posts
    5,096
    My Mood
    Busy
    Country
    Country Flag
    Gender
    Gender

    Default

    Bob-
    Thanks for your additions to this part of the thread!!!! (also glad you worked out how to post images...hold on to your seats everyone!)

    I wish I were more adept at using as camera, but the images in my prelim sketch appear to be (to my eye anyway) Roland in various positions on the rock by the water. Michael very roughly (and very small) sketched him in various positions. For instance, the bottom left image is Roland on his belly, the middle one is also in semi-recline and the third is more sitting upright. At least that is how it hit me when I studied it the first time. The images are pretty small and charcoal is a pretty smudgy/not crisp medium. Tonight I will look at it again with a more open mind's eye and see what I think.

    As for the questions you raised, if MIchael's talk on Sunday was any indication, he very often purposefully paints images into his work that stand for masculinity or femininity. I think the phallic symbols were purposeful as the temple, or ring was described as being very sexual and the Oracle had a great need. The Oracle in this case was female and (my interpretation) the phallic nature of the stones was meant to sustain her until the next male victim could be lured into her circle.

    And, yes, I had noticed the skull reflection in the water (a fabulous touch on Michael's part). I had not heard that the green background was a reference to the mescaline-induced state that Roland was in at the time. Thanks for sharing that info. And, BTW, I adore that painting!

    Dragline : Nothin'. A handful of nothin'. You stupid mullet head. He beat you with nothin'. Just like today when he kept comin' back at me - with nothin'.
    Luke : Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand
    .



  18. #68
    Big Coffin Hunter Ari_Racing has a reputation beyond repute Ari_Racing has a reputation beyond repute Ari_Racing has a reputation beyond repute Ari_Racing has a reputation beyond repute Ari_Racing has a reputation beyond repute Ari_Racing has a reputation beyond repute Ari_Racing has a reputation beyond repute Ari_Racing has a reputation beyond repute Ari_Racing has a reputation beyond repute Ari_Racing has a reputation beyond repute Ari_Racing has a reputation beyond repute Ari_Racing's Avatar

    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Adrogué, Buenos Aires, Argentina
    Posts
    9,127
    My Mood
    Cheerful
    Country
    Country Flag
    Gender
    Gender

    Default

    Okay.,...I'm green with envious!!! The same green as Bob's painting!

    Congratulations Wiz!!!
    That image appeared in The art of Michael Whelan, if I'm not wrong.
    Wanted list:
    Ubris

  19. #69
    Roont Daghain is on a distinguished road Daghain's Avatar

    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Nope
    Posts
    21,346
    My Mood
    Twisted
    Country
    Country Flag

    Default

    That is totally amazing. Wiz, you lucky duck.

    And Carlos, that painting is awesome - I didn't realize the skull was in there, either.



    "People, especially children, aren't measured by their IQ. What's important about them is whether they're good or bad, and these children are bad." ~ Alan Bernard


    "You needn't die happy when your day comes, but you must die satisfied, for you have lived your life from beginning to end and ka is always served." ~ Roland Deschain

  20. #70
    Roont jayson is on a distinguished road

    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Posts
    15,452

    Default

    that painting is beyond cool! it makes me wish there was a DT series of calendars every year like the Tolkien calendars of old.

  21. #71
    Billy Bumbler oy-the-brave will become famous soon enough oy-the-brave will become famous soon enough oy-the-brave's Avatar

    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Arkansas
    Posts
    972
    My Mood
    Fine
    Country
    Country Flag
    Gender
    Gender

    Default

    Congrats David on the incredible gift. I had the same thoughts on the other images they appeared to be rough sketches of Roland in different positions. A real treat seeing how Mr. Whelans creative process works

    Thanks Bob for the painting pics, another reminder of how much is missed when a painting is cropped/sized for a book.

  22. #72
    Goldmember carlosdetweiller has a reputation beyond repute carlosdetweiller has a reputation beyond repute carlosdetweiller has a reputation beyond repute carlosdetweiller has a reputation beyond repute carlosdetweiller has a reputation beyond repute carlosdetweiller has a reputation beyond repute carlosdetweiller has a reputation beyond repute carlosdetweiller has a reputation beyond repute carlosdetweiller has a reputation beyond repute carlosdetweiller has a reputation beyond repute carlosdetweiller has a reputation beyond repute

    Join Date
    May 2007
    Posts
    7,531

    Default

    I ordered this from the Whelan website and it arrived today. It's an artist proof of The End Of The Road. 28" by 20". It is a giclee print on canvas. Looks pretty close to an original painting, IMO. I'm going to the frame shop tomorrow!


  23. #73
    Owner Randall Flagg is loved more than Jesus Randall Flagg is loved more than Jesus Randall Flagg is loved more than Jesus Randall Flagg is loved more than Jesus Randall Flagg is loved more than Jesus Randall Flagg is loved more than Jesus Randall Flagg is loved more than Jesus Randall Flagg is loved more than Jesus Randall Flagg is loved more than Jesus Randall Flagg is loved more than Jesus Randall Flagg is loved more than Jesus Randall Flagg's Avatar

    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    North of "The Claw" & Patrick, East of Chad, RIP Bill Bender
    Posts
    40,429
    My Mood
    Pensive
    Country
    Country Flag
    Gender
    Gender

    Default

    Very, very nice Bob.

  24. #74
    Roont jhanic has a brilliant future jhanic has a brilliant future jhanic has a brilliant future jhanic has a brilliant future jhanic has a brilliant future jhanic has a brilliant future jhanic has a brilliant future jhanic has a brilliant future jhanic has a brilliant future jhanic has a brilliant future jhanic has a brilliant future jhanic's Avatar

    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Cleveland, Ohio
    Posts
    15,760
    My Mood
    Tired
    Country
    Country Flag

    Default

    Very nice, Bob. Just how many Whelan drawings/paintings/pictures do you have?

    John

  25. #75
    Goldmember carlosdetweiller has a reputation beyond repute carlosdetweiller has a reputation beyond repute carlosdetweiller has a reputation beyond repute carlosdetweiller has a reputation beyond repute carlosdetweiller has a reputation beyond repute carlosdetweiller has a reputation beyond repute carlosdetweiller has a reputation beyond repute carlosdetweiller has a reputation beyond repute carlosdetweiller has a reputation beyond repute carlosdetweiller has a reputation beyond repute carlosdetweiller has a reputation beyond repute

    Join Date
    May 2007
    Posts
    7,531

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by jhanic View Post
    Very nice, Bob. Just how many Whelan drawings/paintings/pictures do you have?

    John
    This is the fifth "Artist Proof" print that I have. All with matching #3's. Five paintings. A couple of other prints. They really add up but I've been collecting them for over 10 years. I bought the paintings from The Gunslinger in 1998.

+ Reply to Thread
Page 3 of 33 FirstFirst 1 2 3 4 5 13 ... LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts