Mock Man Press

“Life and Death: 
Death– its desolation and horror– bleak spaces– sea-bottom—dead cities. But Life– the greater horror! Vast unheard-of reptiles and leviathans– hideous beasts of prehistoric jungle– rank slimy vegetation– evil instincts of primal man– Life is more horrible than death.”
— H.P. Lovecraft’s Commonplace Book, entry #27

The drawing above is one that I did several years ago for an art show in Europe, with the theme of “art based on entries from Lovecraft’s Commonplace Book.” I posted it on my older blog at the time, but it hasn’t been up in ages, so I thought I’d dust it off and show it again. S.T. Joshi mentions that this particular Commonplace Book entry, “Life”, was apparently (?) expanded by Lovecraft into a full-length prose poem or short story which is now lost, one of his few missing works. My goal with the drawing was to create “a drawing you are scared to touch,” and in that way, unfortunately, I didn’t achieve my dream. I’ll have to try again with another drawing. Really, I’ll find any excuse to draw crocodiles and sea monsters.

Coincidentally, this very piece (and some of my Dream-Quest pages) is in a new art show this very moment at the Sanctuary gallery in Portland, Maine. Called “Lovecraft: A Darker Key,” the show will be running until May 31. There’s a writeup of it here on the Strange Maine website, and if you’d like, the organizers of the show have put up a bunch of photos on flickr. If you’re on the East Coast, please stop by, and otherwise, enjoy the photos!