Holiday Scenes (Part One)

A selection of images from the Whelan family holiday cards

and

Dec 15, 2024

Pen and ink drawing of a bunny with paws in front of it nestled in the snowy nook of a tree trunk . Between the bunny’s ears lays a winter sprite with wings aflutter as it holds out a 5-pointed star oranment. — Envelope illustration for the 1998 holiday card

The change of seasons, each with its own palette of colors and endlessly varying skies, is a joy to experience here in the Northeast.

While taking my daily walks this time of year, my thoughts seem to drift away from day-to-day concerns to pleasant memories of holidays past when my children were little. These seasonal feelings more often than not lead to a small painting for our family holiday card.

Share The Art of Michael Whelan

Printed in red ink on a white card. Santa rides on the back of Ruth the White Dragon. Slung over his shoulder is a bag of gift. A rocket, the symbol of the Hugo award, pokes out. A circle frames Santa behind and between Ruth’s spread wings. The text in the upper left reads, “HAPPY HOLIDAYS” address from Audrey, Michael, and Alexa in the lower right. — **1981** - Santa delivers a Hugo on the wings of a dear old friend!

Printed in red and black on a white card. Against a backdrop of presents, two Fuzzy parents snuggle against each other in slumber while a little Fuzzy opens one eye and extends a finger to warn the viewer to be silent for the sneaking that is about to commence. The text reads, “‘Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring…” The copyright date in 1982. — **1982** - There was indeed a creature stirring for this very Fuzzy Christmas

On graceful wings, a winter sprint lifts one knee in flight as she holds aloft a string of ornaments which includes stars, bells, and the planet Saturn. The art is painted in raw umber with a unique border made of berries and holly rendered in brown ink. Embedded in the bottom border is the artists sigil, the letters M and W combined within a circle. Painted in raw umber with a border ink brown ink. In the lower left, the card is numbered 102/110. The artists signature is in the lower right. — **1987** - WINTER SPRITE

Inside a shattered ornament is a baby smiling with hands resting on chunky knees. Behind rendered photo-realistically are the needles of a limb of the Christmas tree which has apparently turned on its side. Bulbous lights in yellow, green, and blue are string on the branch. In the distant background is a more loosely rendered present wrapped in yellow with an elegant bow. — **1988** - The arrival of Adrian proved to be a very special Xmas present

Painted in gray with white highlights. On a thin, needled branch of a Christmas tree, a winter sprite rests with wings spread and hands planted for balance. She is surrounded by elegant ornaments of all shapes representing the sun, moon, and stars. A simple heart dangles from the ringed planet Saturn. The border is again rendered in ink, this time gray, a pattern of holly and berries. Embedded at the bottom, the artists sigil, the letters M and W, rests within a circle. — **1990** - A winter sprite takes a rest from decorating the tree

Two children, Alexa (age 11) and Adrian (age 3), dressed in fancy Christmas garb present open topped vessels filled with water containing a solitary flame. They stand on a platform with the younger Adrian on the stairs below her, wearing a red tunic with white sleeves. A green hood falls back to expose his brown hair and an expression of wonder. His glances off-center past the audience. Light illuminates Alexa, as she poses proudly staring forward. The wrap of her red cloak falls over her shoulders to cover her torso. A gold belt and green dress can be seen beneath. Behind the children rises a loosely rendered Christmas tree with blue lights. At the top of the panel left, the glow of a lunar orb ringed with a halo is the only detail in the sky. — **1991** - LIGHTS

A closeup of Santa’s hands bathed in golden light. His fingers are slender. The fur cuffs of his red jacket are barely within the circular frame. A small golden treasure chest rests in one palm while the other hand withdraws to show the top is open. The sides of the box are decorated with Christmas themes, a golden bell set within a green circle and a pattern of an eight pointed star with red bead in the center, also contained within a green field bound by gold. With upward motion, a golden star bursts out. The background is a field of Christmas trees with blue lights. — **1992** - Presenting a tiny gift of wonder

With eyes closed in contemplation, a woman in plain white gown cradles a dove in her lap. Her blonde hair is tied up with a band of holly. A circular window bounded by a wreath opens behind her to expose a wooded, mountainous scene, tinted by the blue night sky. — **1993** - PEACE

A woman in plain white gown with a green, red, and gold belt double cinched around her waist spreads her arms wide as a white dove flies. Her blonde hair flows down her back. Atop her head rests a circlet of holly and berries. The background is a forest in winter with the ground white and small fir trees rising amid thick trunks of older forest growth. From a string, a glass orb hands from the link of the tree behind her. — **1994** - WINTER RETURNING

Bordered in gold and rendered in muted tones, the children pose in a wintry scene. Alexa holds a dove perched on her hand. Its wings glow with light as Adrian examines it with amazement. He hands are coming up delicately as if he wants to hold it. A snow covered fir tree rises on the hill in the distance. A crescent moon hans in sky among traces of clouds. — **1995** - Peace and wonder observed through the eyes of children

A pair of winter fairies greet children riding on the back of a bright red cardinal. It perches on the branches of the Christmas tree to deliver a 5-pointed star ornament with hook already attached. The older boy holds a 4-pointed star and a candy cane while the younger grasps the tip of the ornament to help. Most of the ornaments already on the tree are celestial themed with stars, moon, and sun hanging among the needled branches. Candy canes and strings of berries complete the decorations. In the upper left of the panel, a window provides a peek outside at a cool winter night, but inside is lit with golden light and feels warm. — **1996** - On the wings of a cardinal, children deliver decorations for the tree

Weekly Art Recap

Grid of images 3 across in 2 rows corresponding to the list below. — Art featured from Dec 9-14

The Caves of Steel - cover illustration for Isaac Asimov
Peace - an all-time favorite 1993 holiday image
Journey Behind the Wind - cover illustration for Patricia McKillip
Winter Enchantment - a unique design for the 1997 holiday card
Ka-Tet - interior illustration for The Dark Tower by Stephen King
Starcaster - an enchanting piece from the 2018 Leftovers & Palette Gremlins gallery

Wind & Truth Debuts at #1 on New York Times List

Screen capture of The New York Times Best Seller List dated December 22, 2024

Congratulations to Brandon, Michael and TOR Books for another stellar book launch! Wind and Truth debuted at #1 on the Hardcover Fiction list and also topped the combined print and ebook list.

Stormlight Original Art Available Tuesday Dec 17 @ 11am EST

Yeah, I know. How many times am I going to tease this?

This week did not go as planned, but we will have at least three—possibly up to five—color prelims and studies from WIND AND TRUTH available in our shop on Tuesday.

Michael spent extra time on these and the finished art is breathtaking. This is the first offering of original art from his final Stormlight cover. There will be more to come.

Paid Substack supporters will receive a preview of the originals in a separate email once we finalize the lineup and titles.

Holiday Scenes (Part One)

A selection of images from the Whelan family holiday cards

Weekly Art Recap

Wind & Truth Debuts at #1 on New York Times List

Stormlight Original Art Available Tuesday Dec 17 @ 11am EST

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