The image of God as a big man in the clouds comes from two sources: Renaissance paintings and The Simpsons. I'm not kidding. I've thought a lot about this.
Another "in his image" interpretation I've heard is that it's something of a mistranslation. That it's more like "in his imagination" or "he imagined/conceived us" than "we look like him." That's the one I've always gone by, but I like your take too.
Surprisingly, you are right about the Renaissance paintings. Orthodox Christian icons almost never depict him. The so-alled Pantokrator icons depict regnant Jesus, the Son.
Another "in his image" interpretation I've heard is that it's something of a mistranslation. That it's more like "in his imagination" or "he imagined/conceived us" than "we look like him." That's the one I've always gone by, but I like your take too.