by Michael Whelan | Jul 23, 2019
SANCTUARY rose from my desire to revisit thematic ground that inspired my first gallery show at Tree’s Place back in 1997. As the orb, a symbol from my PASSAGE series, moves past the architecture of personal realities, we discover what lies beyond our limited... 
by Michael Whelan | Jan 1, 2013
by Michael Whelan | Jan 1, 2012
In fall, the sun sets on the west side of our property to shine through the trees. On a humid day, the light seems suspended in the thick air, spreading against the dark shapes of the trees, fanning golden brilliance across the green lawn.I saw my daughter Alexa a few... 
by Michael Whelan | Jan 1, 2010
Every day offers the possibility of a new beginning. The journey the title refers to is the freedom of mind. Through meditation, the women find that there is no limit to the architecture of the imagination. 
by Michael Whelan | Jan 1, 2009
This painting started out to be just a morning exercise, kind of a companion idea to TIME’S PASSING. But once I added the water, I was drawn into the scene—pardon the pun—and it ended up being a finished work. 
by Michael Whelan | Jan 1, 2007
This window was suggested by shapes at the Whitby Abbey, Lincolnshire England. (Nothing to do with the painting, but Whitby is where Count Dracula landed when he arrived in England……) 
by Michael Whelan | Jan 1, 2007
As a native Californian, I really enjoy the change in seasons that I experience living in New England. There is even beauty to be found in the shadows of the leafless trees against the pale gray winter sky. When I finished this Portals painting in March of that year,... 
by Michael Whelan | Jan 1, 2006
Inspired by a ruined abbey I saw on the coast of England, this study is an exploration of feelings about the inevitability of time. We erect monumental structures in an attempt to outlast the progress of the ages, but everything must pass in the end, whether it be the... 
by Michael Whelan | Jan 1, 2006
The woman in this Portals painting is seeking wisdom and meaning beyond the knowledge she can gain from cultural influences, here represented by the statues. Night is passing and she is facing the light squarely, drawing conclusions based on direct personal... 
by Michael Whelan | Jan 1, 2006
In the Portals paintings, enlightenment is found only when one gets beyond the architecture of established formal belief systems. The wisdom comes from engaging in the effort personally-no one can do it for you. 