Wind and Truth Art Unveiled
...and a new Elric original coming Wednesday!
TOR has revealed the cover for Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson. This book is going to be massive—literally and commercially—as it completes the first arc of The Stormlight Archive on December 6.
Naturally, a blockbuster on this scale comes with enormous expectations. Truth be told, I was getting a little nervous with deadlines looming, but as usual Michael delivered a breathtaking vision of Roshar from the top of Urithiru…and now we’re all concerned about what might be coming for Dalinar!
It felt great to soak in the excitement surrounding the art once it was out in the world. Michael and I were chatting the morning of the big reveal, so I know how much he appreciated the passionate response from fans.
“Most people in Brandon’s position would be frozen in indecision and worry that they won’t measure up to expectations, don’t you think?” Michael asked in a moment of introspection. “Huge respect for his nerves of steel and inhumanly productive output!”
What Comes After the Stormlight Archive?
Tucked into our Wind and Truth announcement last week was the revelation that this would be Michael’s last cover for The Stormlight Archive. It’s likely to be his final commercial assignment as he turns his focus back to personal work.
In an interview for Brandon’s website, he explained his retirement from illustration:
“Though it’s been a good run for the past 50 years, I’m looking forward to being free from the deadline-to-deadline existence that has dominated my working life. I feel fortunate that I can close up my commissioned oeuvre with a work for such a popular and well-respected author.”
In a private conversation with me, he clarified further:
“I doubt it’ll be my last cover, because I anticipate that at least some of what I’m planning to do in the next phase of my career will find applications in publishing. I’ll still be working in the F/SF/Surrealism genre—that won’t change a whole lot.”
This may sound familiar to longtime fans. After he stepped away from illustration in 1997 following his successful one-man art show at Tree’s Place, Michael sold rights to several gallery paintings, which made for terrific covers like this.
“I don’t know if you remember that THE AVATAR helped to instigate a new phase in my work—and that was very much the result of a sensory deprivation experience I had at a flotation tank facility in NYC many years ago.
“I’ve set up some similar experiences that will happen later this year and I feel sure it will have an interesting effect on my work.”
Next week I’ll share more about his historic Tree’s Place show because I think there’s important context to be found there for this next act in Michael’s career.
Our Social Media Pivot
As mentioned last week, I wanted to talk more about our social media strategy.
For over a decade, I’ve been delivering daily content via social media, but recent developments with AI training (et tu, Meta) prompted me to re-think our commitment to certain platforms and look for alternatives.
It’s disturbing how many spaces have become unwelcome to artists all at once.
The dilemma we faced was whether to walk away from nearly 100K followers on Instagram and Threads or capitulate to terms of service that were clearly unacceptable. Social media platforms should not be training algorithms on anyone’s data without consent, particularly not creative and intellectual property.
Given how much time we’ve invested in these platforms, I knew there would be no easy answer, but I’ve always felt that Michael’s art would find an audience wherever we go.
Ultimately, I deleted 5 years worth of content from Meta and reduced new posts there to previews of features available on other platforms.
Substack and Everywhere Else
The more I looked at alternatives, the more it seemed like Substack was the obvious next step. It’s not a perfect platform, but Substack offers a bridge between email and social media that I find intriguing.
My goal is to deliver the same substance fans have come to expect on social media while filling gaps in our traditional newsletter calendar. I’ll be providing sneak peeks at the projects we’re working on and take you behind the scenes in the studio like never before. More access to Michael? Yes, please!
At the same time, we’ll continue supporting platforms on federated social media like Bluesky and Mastodon. Then there’s Cara, a new community in development by artists that while still in beta shows much promise. We’d love for you to stop by any of these spaces and say “hi.”
Conveniently, you can find links to our art posts updated daily on Linktree.
Ways to Subscribe
If you’re a newsletter subscriber through the website, this should be an easy transition as you’re already locked and loaded into our list. If you like what you see here, please share with friends and help spread the word.
Our content will always be free, but we’re offering an option for anyone who wants to support the quality work we’re doing here. Paid subscribers ($60 / year) will get additional perks including but definitely not limited to:
Unique autograph and chat opportunities with Michael
Exclusive previews of original art offerings before they drop
Monthly giveaways of free prints and merchandise
Special promotions and discounts in our shop
Digital goodies including exclusive wallpapers and a free ebook of Wonderworks, Michael’s first published art collection (long out-of-print, now remastered!)
Page previews of Michael’s next art book as we put it together. So many fans have asked for a follow up to The Art of Michael Whelan, and your support helps get big projects like this off the ground.
Founding members will receive a free pair of bookmarks, THE WAY OF KINGS and WIND AND TRUTH before they release in stores! (You can also hold out for bookmarks of your choice as we expand our line to other fandoms.)
What do you think? Is that a good value for the quality content we provide daily?
Weekly Art Recap
Art featured this week:
In Dai Chikiza - cover for The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams.
In a World of Her Own - inspired by a favorite Stanley Kubrick quote
The Final Encyclopedia - cover for Gordon R. Dickson…TOR’s first hardcover publication
A Question of Balance and A Delicate Balance - an art experiment blending acrylic style and egg tempera
The Temple of the Oracle - interior illustration for The Gunslinger by Stephen King
Elric and the Cold Drake - a non-commissioned take on the classic Michael Moorcock character
Feedback Helps Shape What We Do
If there’s anything you’re interested in seeing, let me know. There’s a thread in our Substack chat devoted to feedback and requests.
Early in 2023, someone asked for better alt-text on the art we were posting, which turned out to be a great suggestion! I’ve been providing rich alt-text for 18 months now across social media and have been blown away by all the encouraging feedback. I never would have predicted how many fans (many who aren’t sight impaired) would enjoy added detail in the image descriptions.
New Elric Original Coming Wednesday!
We kick off our 2024 Leftovers & Palette Gremlins gallery on Wednesday, September 4th at 11am EST with a rare Elric original that will be added to our shop at the same time. You don’t want to miss this one!
Paid subscribers get a preview of the art below the cut.