Cover Artist Feature - Michael Whelan

Yesterday I wrote about how important book covers are to me, and this week's featured artist is Michael Whelan. If you've read with any depth in the science fiction/fantasy genre then you probably already know his work. From Anne McCaffrey's Pern series to Michael Moorcock's Elric series, Michael Whelan has been illustrating fantasy novels for over twenty-four years. He has won the Hugo award an amazing fourteen times. The biography on his official website includes Whelan's artistic statement which, interestingly enough, is a quote by renowned Catholic author G.K. Chesterton: "The dignity of the artist lies in his duty of keeping awake the sense of wonder in the world." Michael Whelan certainly lives up to that statement. I love his attention to detail and use of rich colors. My favorite of his covers are from Tad Williams' Memory, Sorrow and Thorn trilogy: The Dragonbone Chair Stone of Farewell To Green Angel Tower You can see more of his work in the book The Art of Michael Whelan.