MEMORY OF A DISTANT SEA

May 08, 2025

Depicted on an oval canvas, a tall lush evergreen towers above arid landscape. Blunting the treetop with her weight, a woman with long, wavy blonde hair sits comfortably atop with one knee raised. Her silky white robe spills down, a contrast to the dark green of her perch. Resting an elbow across her knee, she cradles the spiral of a large ammonite fossil as she stares off into the distance. Seagulls cross her line of sight gliding across pale blue-gray skies. Low, dark puffs of clouds drift by, an undercurrent of motion. Below, a deep canyon winds through otherwise flat dry land. — MEMORY OF A DISTANT SEA (1999), Acrylic on Canvas - 20" x 16"

Whenever someone asked me what I do for myself, up until 1987 my answer was my illustration. Until then that's always what I envisioned myself doing, but something happened. It might have something to do with being a parent…I don’t know.

The ideas that started coming to me were not connected to stories. They’re more connected to an alteration of my vision.

Figure study for MEMORY OF A DISTANT SEA on blue-green paper. A woman with long wavy hair sits with one knee up. She stares distantly as she cradles the spiral of an ammonite fossil. Her long robe flows with silky highlights in white — Study for MEMORY OF A DISTANT SEA

Joni Mitchell once said that artists are people who perceive the world in metaphors. I don’t think that was true of me when I was younger, but there has been a change in me and it’s definitely true of me now. That's what compelled me to pursue fine art.

Share The Art of Michael Whelan