EFFLORESCENT
2025 Leftovers & Palette Gremlins 7
It's fascinating what the imagination of a viewer can add to a painting. I didn't have a scene in mind as I painted this. I simply followed what patterns of brush strokes suggested until it all came together. Consider this a "Choose Your Own Adventure" and write your own story into it. (See contest details below!)
Is she a botanist on another planet cataloguing alien flora? Perhaps she's too lost in her mystical studies to notice the beautiful flower growing in an unexpected crevice? Or maybe her attention is drawn to something more dazzling in the distance?
Additional images from EFFLORESCENT
New Original Art in Our Shop
EFFLORESCENT
Acrylic - 7” x 10 ½”
Life on this alien world blossomed out of random brush marks on canvas.
$1,800
Creative Writing Contest
Join in the fun…write a story or poem inspired by Michael Whelan’s original painting EFFLORESCENT.
The best entry written in 250 words or less will receive a one-of-a-kind print, produced at the same size as the original painting and signed by Michael Whelan.
We’ll feature the winner—chosen by Michael himself!—in an upcoming newsletter, and if we use your writing, we’ll grant you one-time use of Michael’s art to accompany the story on your website or blog.
We reserve the right to create a separate category for professional writers depending on the response to the contest. In that case, the prize would be a print edition of two.
Deadline for entry is Wednesday July 23, 2025.
All work must be the product of your own creativity (no AI). By entering, you grant us one-time permission to publish your story in our Substack newsletter. Please include your name (or pseudonym) with your entry and a link to your website or social media so we can properly credit you.
We can’t wait to see what you come up with!
~Michael Everett
File attachments (preferably in PDF format) or links to your story are okay to send. Otherwise text/html works fine in the body of the email submitted to webmaster@michaelwhelan.com.
Edit: If the button link above doesn’t work, you can send your entry directly to webmaster@michaelwhelan.com. Thanks!
About Leftovers & Palette Gremlins
Leftovers are spur-of-the-moment doodles or sketches created with paint left over from a work in progress. (Ever since my poor art student days, I’ve been loathe to discard any usable paint or other art materials!) Many of these quickies end up in the trash, but some give rise to an idea that merits development into a full sized painting.
Palette Gremlins are small creations inspired by random or accidental shapes in my immediate environment. Usually these gremlins are found on a used palette, but nearly as often they spring from an unintentional mark of paint on a piece of paper or a suggestive shadow in my studio.
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