One of the premier Weird artists of our time, Paul Carrick, has recently announced his desire to participate in a unique fund raising event. Using Ebay, he is offering a painting based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft up for bid--the proceeds of which will go to help the Global Giving Emergency Earthquake Relief for Haiti. The winner of the bid will get to design the image from scratch, which Mr. Carrick will then create as an original painting.

Surely helping Haitians has never been this Lovecraftian.

However, this does present a peculiar moral quandary, which we presented to Mr. Carrick:

LNN: What are the ethics of using the likeness of fictional apocalyptic monstrosities to raise funds to support recovery from a calamity which, according to some contemporary cultists, was the direct result of a "real" apocalyptic monstrosity?

Carrick:To answer your question, the connection between the fantasy and reality didn't escape me. These things cross my mind often when destructive things like this happen in the world. But, when I thought about what would give me the best chance for a fund raising contribution, doing what I do best simply made the most sense... it is what will ultimately be the most help for those in need. Do people read less Lovecraft during trying times? I wonder if it is quite the opposite, as there seems to be more disaster films recently, despite the wars in the Middle East and threats of global warming. I think, for some, it serves a purpose (a catharsis, perhaps?) as long as it is not making light of the misfortune. It will ultimately be up to the winning bidder... be it Azathoth or a fuzzy and less apocalyptic Zoog from the dreamlands.

About the artist: 

Paul Carrick has created imaginative illustrations for publishers since 1993, they have appeared in role playing games, collectible card games, children's books, t-shirts, tattoos, limited resin statues, CD and LP artwork, posters… you name it, even funerary items (yes, you read that correctly!). Paul earned his BFA in illustration from the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, Rhode Island. The universe of H.P. Lovecraft has continued to be a favorite and enormous source of inspiration as the years go by. In 2007, Paul's work was hung next to the work of H.R. Giger at the Maison D'Ailleurs in Yverdon-Les'Bains, Switzerland for a museum exhibition on Lovecraft inspired artwork. Online gallery/site: nightserpent.com Blog: blog.nightserpent.com, resume http://www.nightserpent.com/resume.html

Official Press Release:

Annelaure is a French artist who stumbled across "Herbert West: Reanimator" at the age of 10. Deeply influenced by Lovecraft and his writings, she wanted to include him in her art. However, Annelaure doesn't use any conventional canvas for her work: she colors the streets of France with handmade stencils to depict psychedelic visions. She was kind enough to drop by and share with us some beautiful pictures she took of a Cthulhu stencil she has recently employed on the unsuspecting city walls of Saint-Etienne, France.

Annelaure writes, "I think it's interesting to put occult characters on the walls of modern cities. For me Cthulhu represents the dark side of things and people: a power who enchanted today and the ancient world. I hope you enjoy my work. I can say that is not easy to translate Lovecraft's world and creatures on stencil, but i try!"

We aren't sure what we like most about this promising young French artist: the fact that she was reading Lovecraft in France at the age of 10 or that she brings his work to the masses in such a creative and fascinating way. Either way, we hope to see more pictures of similar projects soon.

We'd love to see this catch on and watch as unspeakable icons wound up on city walls across the world.

Keep up the great work!

You can view more of her work on Flickr at the following link:
 http://www.flickr.com/photos/sputnik2369/