Michael Whelan (born June 29, 1950) is an American artist of imaginative realism. For more than 30 years, he worked as an illustrator, specializing in science fiction and fantasy cover art. According to his Hall of Fame citation

By the time he was a sophomore in high school, his family had moved to Denver, Colorado. There he began formal training in art, taking summer classes at the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design when he was 15.

Whelan continued school as a pre-medical biology major at San José State University, initially. There he worked in the Anatomy and Physiology Department, gaining a first-hand knowledge of human anatomy. He says that his job "involved all sorts of tasks related to the anatomy department, such as preparing cadavers for the classes, stringing bones together to make complete skeletons, making models of body parts, some medical illustration, etc." The SF Hall of Fame agrees. Fantasist Michael Moorcock wrote of Whelan, "I am more than usually grateful for an artist who not only depicts him [Elric] as I imagine (and describe him) but who also manages to capture some of the appropriate atmosphere" (Wonderworks, p. 36). Science fiction writer Anne McCaffrey praised him, declaring, "Fortunate indeed is the author who has Michael Whelan for an illustrator" (Wonderworks, p. 55).

Whelan illustrated the cover for Meat Loaf's 1993 album Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell. He also provided several illustrations for the insert booklet, which were also used for the single releases such as "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)". Larger versions of his artwork were featured in the album's 2002 special edition release. He has since gone on to paint album cover artwork for many other recording artists, from Michael Jackson to Sepultura to Jonn Serrie.

In the early 1990s, Whelan devoted his time to personal visions and gallery works. In 1997, he held his first one-man art show at Tree's Place in Orleans, Massachusetts. Its success led to another in 1999 and his eventual semi-retirement from illustration.

Whelan has two children, including Adrian Price-Whelan.

<!-- some awards refs -->

</references>

Sources

  • The Demon of Scattery (1979) (by Poul Anderson, and Mildred Downey Broxon, illustrated by Alicia Austin)
  • Locus, "Michael Whelan: Breathing Space", January 1993.
  • Infinite Worlds: The Fantastic Visions of Science Fiction Art, Vincent Di Fate (author),
  • The Biographical Dictionary of SF & Fantasy Artists, Robt. Weinberg, ed., 1988
  • "Michael Whelan: Leap of Faith", by Karen Haber, Realms of Fantasy magazine, October 2001
  • The Christian Science Monitor, February 15, 1990
  • ARTFORUM International Magazine, September 1998 article, "Wonder Bred", by Bruce Wagner
  • Starlog, November 1985, "The 100 Most Important People in Science Fiction"
  • Infinite Worlds: The Fantastic Visions of Science Fiction Art, Vincent Di Fate (author),
  • Chicago Sun-Times, October 1993
  • The Mammoth Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, edited by George Mann,
  • The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, 1978, consultant editor: Robert Holdstock
  • The New Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (1988), edited by James Gunn,
  • The Frank Collection (1999), edited by Jane and Howard Frank,
  • The Chesley Awards: A Retrospective (2003), by John Grant and Elizabeth Humphrey, with Pamela D. Scoville

Further reading

  • Michael Whelan at Cara