Nightserpent.com blog- Fantasy art of Paul Carrick
not as seen on TV
Hello!
If you tuned in to watch Supernatural last friday night, you may have been scratching your head wondering if you saw any of my art or not. You didn't! Interacting with the art department for the show has been a real eye opener, and it's made me appreciate all the work that goes into set design, even if it is something as every day as an office cubicle. Scouring the episode helped me be aware of this, everything down to pens and a water bottle had been considered as a means of rounding out a character. They make a complete set, and then it's up to the directors and camera crew to select the angles, and so not every part of the set will be guaranteed to make it to the show. In last year's episode I hit the jackpot and got a great deal of exposure, but this year it looks like the area of the set with my art was not in any of the shots. Ah well, that's the way it goes! They were kind enough to send me a production still of the art, my guess is that this is the cubicle of Charlie's co-worker:
For those unfamiliar, both of my pieces are on either sides of the cubicle's wall seam. On the left is a portrait of H.P. Lovecraft, and on the right is 'Azathoth'.
I'm ending this blog with a teaser, it's what I've been working on recently.....
cheers!
~Paul
If you tuned in to watch Supernatural last friday night, you may have been scratching your head wondering if you saw any of my art or not. You didn't! Interacting with the art department for the show has been a real eye opener, and it's made me appreciate all the work that goes into set design, even if it is something as every day as an office cubicle. Scouring the episode helped me be aware of this, everything down to pens and a water bottle had been considered as a means of rounding out a character. They make a complete set, and then it's up to the directors and camera crew to select the angles, and so not every part of the set will be guaranteed to make it to the show. In last year's episode I hit the jackpot and got a great deal of exposure, but this year it looks like the area of the set with my art was not in any of the shots. Ah well, that's the way it goes! They were kind enough to send me a production still of the art, my guess is that this is the cubicle of Charlie's co-worker:
For those unfamiliar, both of my pieces are on either sides of the cubicle's wall seam. On the left is a portrait of H.P. Lovecraft, and on the right is 'Azathoth'.
I'm ending this blog with a teaser, it's what I've been working on recently.....
cheers!
~Paul
"As seen on TV" again? Maybe!
Hello!
Longer term readers might recall back in the distant past..... the year 2011, my Cthulhu sculpture and several of my Lovecraftian illustrations were featured on the CW's TV series 'Supernatural'. Here you will find info and set photos, if you're interested. My art had never been utilized in that medium before, and it was a lot of fun to get to interact with showbiz folk. I'm happy to report that they wanted to use me again this year for the new season! The episode airs on April 27th (IMDB link) and I would imagine as with last year that it will be available for streaming after it airs. The one catch is that we don't yet know how much of my art the camera will catch (last year it was quite visible), so I'll just keep my fingers crossed. As with last year I ought to be able to get some production stills to share, so either way we'll get to see how the art was used on the set.
To find out when and what channel, visit Supernatural's official page here In general, the show airs on Friday nights, 9/8 central.
tune in next time, SAME SQUID-TIME, SAME SQUID-CHANNEL......
~Paul
Longer term readers might recall back in the distant past..... the year 2011, my Cthulhu sculpture and several of my Lovecraftian illustrations were featured on the CW's TV series 'Supernatural'. Here you will find info and set photos, if you're interested. My art had never been utilized in that medium before, and it was a lot of fun to get to interact with showbiz folk. I'm happy to report that they wanted to use me again this year for the new season! The episode airs on April 27th (IMDB link) and I would imagine as with last year that it will be available for streaming after it airs. The one catch is that we don't yet know how much of my art the camera will catch (last year it was quite visible), so I'll just keep my fingers crossed. As with last year I ought to be able to get some production stills to share, so either way we'll get to see how the art was used on the set.
To find out when and what channel, visit Supernatural's official page here In general, the show airs on Friday nights, 9/8 central.
tune in next time, SAME SQUID-TIME, SAME SQUID-CHANNEL......
~Paul
Aklonomicon available for order
No threats of Chocolate cthulhu statues on this April fool's day- I promise!!
I'm happy to announce that the long-anticipated collaborative Lovecraftian anthology 'Aklonomicon' is finally available for order.
It is my understanding that once the expenses are covered, the subsequent profits will be split amongst the creators- this is fairly uncommon in this field, but most appreciated!
Many thanks to those who gave input to my Lovecraftian art book concept- I am still very interested in hearing what people would like to see. Some have expressed interest in seeing sketches as well as some writing about how I got into Lovecraft and some of my thoughts about the subject. Some would also like to see a few new pieces in the book. I like all of these ideas- thanks again and keep 'em coming!
cheers!
~Paul
I'm happy to announce that the long-anticipated collaborative Lovecraftian anthology 'Aklonomicon' is finally available for order.
It is my understanding that once the expenses are covered, the subsequent profits will be split amongst the creators- this is fairly uncommon in this field, but most appreciated!
Many thanks to those who gave input to my Lovecraftian art book concept- I am still very interested in hearing what people would like to see. Some have expressed interest in seeing sketches as well as some writing about how I got into Lovecraft and some of my thoughts about the subject. Some would also like to see a few new pieces in the book. I like all of these ideas- thanks again and keep 'em coming!
cheers!
~Paul
Don't let the bedbugs bite....
Hello!
I was recently commissioned by Chaosium (publishers of the 'Call of Cthulhu' role playing game) to do an illustration for their upcoming 'Atomic Age Cthulhu' supplement. The illustration depicts Baoht Z'uqqa-Mogg, a mythos creature created by Scott David Aniolowski.
Here's is my latest, 10x14" acrylic. Imagine waking up to this??:
Admittedly, this is one of the grosser things I have painted in a while. I think I know why, other than the obvious being it was part of the assignment. When I was just doing purely illustration I think I was experiencing some conflict between my own artistic urges and the requirements of the assignments. Now that there is a place and outlet for my own ideas, the illustration work can be more specific. In other words, I don't want to paint terrible things all the time- so as long as I have a way to express the other sides of myself the creepy stuff becomes more fun to do.
I'm not even sure what prompted what I did while painting this, but I occasionally take in-progress photos of my work. For some reason I thought to take a large number of photos- one at each noticeable step, and then put them together in a stop-motion animation. I was new to the process, but I am happy with my first go at it. You'll notice slight shifts in the values, sometimes this is my altering the painting, and other times it is environmental- the light gradually changing from my window. I've thought of ways to limit these variables, but I think it would make it far less convenient to paint.
If you cannot see the video embedded above, you may watch it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qEMHcTz2ys
If you have a good internet connection, it can be viewed at a fairly high resolution and/or at full-screen by clicking on the youtube controls when you mouse-over the video. Please feel free to spread it around in blogs and forums, etc!
With kind permission, the music has been provided and © by 'JAS'. It is an excerpt from the song 'Hypno Time' from their CD "Live At Jerome's" http://myspace.com/jasimprov label: Gulcher http://gulcher.gemm.com
Last but not least..... for as long as I have been creating this sort of art I have thought it would be fun to make an art book. Most of the artists I have been inspired by over the years have eventually bound their works into some sort of collection, and by 2013 I will have been illustrating Lovecraft's work for twenty years- it seems a good enough point as any to look back at what I have done so far. Sadly, a lot of the paper used in game books aren't always ideal for reproduction of art- this is mostly due to costs. Add to that, my art so often has such dark values that they don't always translate so well onto the page. This would be a good opportunity to exhibit and share my art in a way that is closer to the originals.
So, this is where you come in- what sort of things would you like to see in a book like this? I would appreciate your opinions and feedback, as this book will be for you!
cheers!
~Paul
I was recently commissioned by Chaosium (publishers of the 'Call of Cthulhu' role playing game) to do an illustration for their upcoming 'Atomic Age Cthulhu' supplement. The illustration depicts Baoht Z'uqqa-Mogg, a mythos creature created by Scott David Aniolowski.
Here's is my latest, 10x14" acrylic. Imagine waking up to this??:
Admittedly, this is one of the grosser things I have painted in a while. I think I know why, other than the obvious being it was part of the assignment. When I was just doing purely illustration I think I was experiencing some conflict between my own artistic urges and the requirements of the assignments. Now that there is a place and outlet for my own ideas, the illustration work can be more specific. In other words, I don't want to paint terrible things all the time- so as long as I have a way to express the other sides of myself the creepy stuff becomes more fun to do.
I'm not even sure what prompted what I did while painting this, but I occasionally take in-progress photos of my work. For some reason I thought to take a large number of photos- one at each noticeable step, and then put them together in a stop-motion animation. I was new to the process, but I am happy with my first go at it. You'll notice slight shifts in the values, sometimes this is my altering the painting, and other times it is environmental- the light gradually changing from my window. I've thought of ways to limit these variables, but I think it would make it far less convenient to paint.
If you cannot see the video embedded above, you may watch it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qEMHcTz2ys
If you have a good internet connection, it can be viewed at a fairly high resolution and/or at full-screen by clicking on the youtube controls when you mouse-over the video. Please feel free to spread it around in blogs and forums, etc!
With kind permission, the music has been provided and © by 'JAS'. It is an excerpt from the song 'Hypno Time' from their CD "Live At Jerome's" http://myspace.com/jasimprov label: Gulcher http://gulcher.gemm.com
Last but not least..... for as long as I have been creating this sort of art I have thought it would be fun to make an art book. Most of the artists I have been inspired by over the years have eventually bound their works into some sort of collection, and by 2013 I will have been illustrating Lovecraft's work for twenty years- it seems a good enough point as any to look back at what I have done so far. Sadly, a lot of the paper used in game books aren't always ideal for reproduction of art- this is mostly due to costs. Add to that, my art so often has such dark values that they don't always translate so well onto the page. This would be a good opportunity to exhibit and share my art in a way that is closer to the originals.
So, this is where you come in- what sort of things would you like to see in a book like this? I would appreciate your opinions and feedback, as this book will be for you!
cheers!
~Paul
The Temple of Forbidden Knowledge
Greetings!
Continuing on with my experiment- beginning paintings without prior planning, here is The Temple of Forbidden Knowledge - acrylic 10x14". Again I started with a neutral grey surface and made sweeping marks with a darker tone, then pushed, pulled and wrangled it into something recognizable. As always, I'd be interested to hear what you make of it- if you see a story here what would it be?
Once it started looking like some sort of architecture, I started refining the structure- yet it had this strange wide angled or even fisheye look to it. That reminded me a bit of the famous Lovecraftian 'non-euclidean' geometry (almost like M.C Escher art come to life), suggesting to me that this wasn't your run-of-the-mill place. I had previously been listening to a podcast about secret societies and supposed alien influences, this bizarre place I was painting seemed like a perfect place for the two groups to interface. Yet, as we see, something has happened to either or both of the factions, and nature has taken over once again.
I was saddened to hear about the passing of a favorite artist of mine, Jean Giraud aka "Moebius". I first learned of him when my father called me from his studio, asking me to 'wash my hands' and come see him. This kind of request was a first, and I was extremely curious what it was all about. One of his publishers had sent him some graphic novels by Moebius, and he presented them to me as if they were recently unearthed artifacts from some lost ancient civilization. I'm surprised I didn't have to wear cotton gloves to handle them! They were really some of the first graphic novels, coming out at a time when just about everything else in the comics world was fairly crude and one dimensional. These were lavishly illustrated, each panel was a "real" painting, and the imagination was so vivid and unique. The subjects spanned spirituality, existentialism, surrealism, humor and politics, just to name a few. Below is just a sample (and also a major influence on the movie Blade Runner):
Moebius' art also influenced (sometimes directly as a consultant) obscure things like the movies Alien, Tron, Star Wars, Willow and the Fifth Element. I'm grateful he was so prolific, as there is still much to explore and be inspired by.
~Paul
Continuing on with my experiment- beginning paintings without prior planning, here is The Temple of Forbidden Knowledge - acrylic 10x14". Again I started with a neutral grey surface and made sweeping marks with a darker tone, then pushed, pulled and wrangled it into something recognizable. As always, I'd be interested to hear what you make of it- if you see a story here what would it be?
Once it started looking like some sort of architecture, I started refining the structure- yet it had this strange wide angled or even fisheye look to it. That reminded me a bit of the famous Lovecraftian 'non-euclidean' geometry (almost like M.C Escher art come to life), suggesting to me that this wasn't your run-of-the-mill place. I had previously been listening to a podcast about secret societies and supposed alien influences, this bizarre place I was painting seemed like a perfect place for the two groups to interface. Yet, as we see, something has happened to either or both of the factions, and nature has taken over once again.
I was saddened to hear about the passing of a favorite artist of mine, Jean Giraud aka "Moebius". I first learned of him when my father called me from his studio, asking me to 'wash my hands' and come see him. This kind of request was a first, and I was extremely curious what it was all about. One of his publishers had sent him some graphic novels by Moebius, and he presented them to me as if they were recently unearthed artifacts from some lost ancient civilization. I'm surprised I didn't have to wear cotton gloves to handle them! They were really some of the first graphic novels, coming out at a time when just about everything else in the comics world was fairly crude and one dimensional. These were lavishly illustrated, each panel was a "real" painting, and the imagination was so vivid and unique. The subjects spanned spirituality, existentialism, surrealism, humor and politics, just to name a few. Below is just a sample (and also a major influence on the movie Blade Runner):
Moebius' art also influenced (sometimes directly as a consultant) obscure things like the movies Alien, Tron, Star Wars, Willow and the Fifth Element. I'm grateful he was so prolific, as there is still much to explore and be inspired by.
~Paul
The Tower and an exhibition on the Cape
Another blog entry so soon? I guess I am on a roll...
Here's a new piece I did using the same process as the last piece ( 'The Guide' ), that being making random shapes on the board and seeing what I can find in them, much like looking up at the clouds. I started to see a tower forming up top, so I thought it would be fun to make it resemble the one seen in the background of 'the Guide'. Perhaps some sort of story is unfolding before me.
7x12" acrylic I had some interesting comments about Tarot cards from the last painting, and I can certainly appreciate the comparison. Creating it felt much like reading a spread of cards, and each card has a little story going on in them- reminding me much of all the little symbol-like imagery in the painting. For those of you not familiar, there is a Tower card, appropriately enough.
In other news, I will be part of a group exhibition this weekend at the Hyannis Harbor Arts Center in Hyannis Massachusetts. http://hyartsdistrict.com/ http://www.bigcollage.net/ The opening is this Friday the 17th at 7:30 to 10:00 with music, refreshments and the like. It runs through to the 29th if you can't make the opening. The show is salon-style, meaning there will be a lot of art on the wall, so the overall dimensions and price of everything is kept to a minimum. I'll have five photo-prints of recent painting there. Also featured at the show will be some fantastic jewelry by House Of Coniglio (I've already seen it in person and can vouch for it's fantastic-ness). I hope to see you there if you can make it!
~Paul
Here's a new piece I did using the same process as the last piece ( 'The Guide' ), that being making random shapes on the board and seeing what I can find in them, much like looking up at the clouds. I started to see a tower forming up top, so I thought it would be fun to make it resemble the one seen in the background of 'the Guide'. Perhaps some sort of story is unfolding before me.
7x12" acrylic I had some interesting comments about Tarot cards from the last painting, and I can certainly appreciate the comparison. Creating it felt much like reading a spread of cards, and each card has a little story going on in them- reminding me much of all the little symbol-like imagery in the painting. For those of you not familiar, there is a Tower card, appropriately enough.
In other news, I will be part of a group exhibition this weekend at the Hyannis Harbor Arts Center in Hyannis Massachusetts. http://hyartsdistrict.com/ http://www.bigcollage.net/ The opening is this Friday the 17th at 7:30 to 10:00 with music, refreshments and the like. It runs through to the 29th if you can't make the opening. The show is salon-style, meaning there will be a lot of art on the wall, so the overall dimensions and price of everything is kept to a minimum. I'll have five photo-prints of recent painting there. Also featured at the show will be some fantastic jewelry by House Of Coniglio (I've already seen it in person and can vouch for it's fantastic-ness). I hope to see you there if you can make it!
~Paul
further down the stream of consciousness...
Hello!
For those of you who have been following my blog recently, you may recall that I've been carving out some time to paint for myself. Illustration can be fun and rewarding, but I think it's important to create some balance between catering to others ideas and giving one's own personal voice some outlet. Three entries ago when I painted 'Ports' I started the painting with absolutely no plan in mind, I just started making random brushstrokes on the board and then tried to see shapes in them and flesh something out. I enjoyed scrying some sense out of the abstract mayhem, much like a stream of consciousness writing exercise. I then opened the idea up to you guys to see what sense you could make of it, I found it quite interesting. After that I tried a more planned and conceptual approach with 'A Welcome Visitor' I enjoyed that, too, but something about the thorough planning took a lot of the spontaneity and excitement out of the process for me. There was far less discovery and surprise during he process, and I missed that.
So, I decided to try the 'stream of conscious' approach once again. I prepared the board with gesso and a neutral shade of grey and then just started making large sweeping marks on the board. From this I recognized things much like one might while looking up at the clouds, and the idea was to shape and reshape these forms until they felt right to me. During this recent painting I really felt a strong sense of flow, and it wasn't a sense or pressure of perfection that kept me going (some parts were completely painted over a few times), it was just a joyful feeling of creating what my instincts told me and allowing them to be. I've called it 'The Guide', it's acrylic on illustration board, 13x13":
(Vocem is latin for 'voice', for those who wondered)
For dessert..... Every time I looked into the mirror near my drawing board, I would notice this same person staring at me. How rude!! Since it's convenient that he was always there I took advantage of that old saying, "Paint a picture, it'll last longer!", so that's exactly what I did (8x10" acrylic on masonite):
I very rarely do observational drawing or painting, as most of my subject matter is unobservable, though I know I would benefit from the practice. One of the big challenges of drawing and painting from life, I've discovered, is that nothing ever stays the same long enough during the length of time it takes to paint someone or thing. When I've done landscapes, the sun, clouds and shadows move. People gradually move (some models in classes have even fallen asleep), and parts you used to see are no longer visible or vice-versa. I think that's a benefit of the self-portrait, as you can keep as vigilant as you like. However, there were still variables I hadn't considered. The first day I started there was fresh snow outside and it reflected a lot of extra light into the window I normally wouldn't get. The next day, the snow was gone, and the way the light moved across my face had changed- so I had to change much of the painting to keep it accurate. Even the subtle stubble of a day's beard changed the texture of my skin. Unless one works from photos (which involves it's own puzzles), I think the key is to accept the ever-changing qualities and be OK with the differences of what you saw and what you paint. Or so I think.
cheers!
~Paul
For those of you who have been following my blog recently, you may recall that I've been carving out some time to paint for myself. Illustration can be fun and rewarding, but I think it's important to create some balance between catering to others ideas and giving one's own personal voice some outlet. Three entries ago when I painted 'Ports' I started the painting with absolutely no plan in mind, I just started making random brushstrokes on the board and then tried to see shapes in them and flesh something out. I enjoyed scrying some sense out of the abstract mayhem, much like a stream of consciousness writing exercise. I then opened the idea up to you guys to see what sense you could make of it, I found it quite interesting. After that I tried a more planned and conceptual approach with 'A Welcome Visitor' I enjoyed that, too, but something about the thorough planning took a lot of the spontaneity and excitement out of the process for me. There was far less discovery and surprise during he process, and I missed that.
So, I decided to try the 'stream of conscious' approach once again. I prepared the board with gesso and a neutral shade of grey and then just started making large sweeping marks on the board. From this I recognized things much like one might while looking up at the clouds, and the idea was to shape and reshape these forms until they felt right to me. During this recent painting I really felt a strong sense of flow, and it wasn't a sense or pressure of perfection that kept me going (some parts were completely painted over a few times), it was just a joyful feeling of creating what my instincts told me and allowing them to be. I've called it 'The Guide', it's acrylic on illustration board, 13x13":
(Vocem is latin for 'voice', for those who wondered)
For dessert..... Every time I looked into the mirror near my drawing board, I would notice this same person staring at me. How rude!! Since it's convenient that he was always there I took advantage of that old saying, "Paint a picture, it'll last longer!", so that's exactly what I did (8x10" acrylic on masonite):
I very rarely do observational drawing or painting, as most of my subject matter is unobservable, though I know I would benefit from the practice. One of the big challenges of drawing and painting from life, I've discovered, is that nothing ever stays the same long enough during the length of time it takes to paint someone or thing. When I've done landscapes, the sun, clouds and shadows move. People gradually move (some models in classes have even fallen asleep), and parts you used to see are no longer visible or vice-versa. I think that's a benefit of the self-portrait, as you can keep as vigilant as you like. However, there were still variables I hadn't considered. The first day I started there was fresh snow outside and it reflected a lot of extra light into the window I normally wouldn't get. The next day, the snow was gone, and the way the light moved across my face had changed- so I had to change much of the painting to keep it accurate. Even the subtle stubble of a day's beard changed the texture of my skin. Unless one works from photos (which involves it's own puzzles), I think the key is to accept the ever-changing qualities and be OK with the differences of what you saw and what you paint. Or so I think.
cheers!
~Paul
A welcome visitor
Hello!
I guess one could call it a New Year's resolution, I've told myself that I will create more art for myself this year. Don't get me wrong, illustration can be rewarding and interesting, but it can also involve a deal of compromise that can leave an artist wondering what his or her art might look like if it were wholly self guided. No doubt, much of my voice often seeps through any assignment, but I am still trying to please someone more than myself. So, what would I want to paint? To tell you the truth, I found that a bit of an overwhelming question. Too many different directions come to mind, it's hard to know which way to go and when to pause and further explore any given idea. I've become so accustomed to being given the dimensions, subject matter and a time frame to work within, it's sort of strange for there to be no pre-set parameters. I started sketching and sketching, revising and changing both the subject and environment, presumably it could have gone on forever but I was eager to paint. I decided to settle on one idea with the idea in mind that I would simply observe what I liked about it and what I'd like to see more of, and with the next piece I could refine my direction. It's a little less overwhelming to think of it more a journey and exploration. A recent experience spawned a concept...
Last Halloween I went to a steampunk themed event, though I didn't happen to have a steampunk costume in my closet I wore something vaguely related. A little too high-tech I suppose, but it was the closest thing I had on hand:
Someone came up to me and commented about how she never sees steampunk villains, and judged me to be one. For some reason, that judgement struck me as funny- who said I was a villain? Yes, there's a skull in there, but I think it's more of a cultural conditioning of ours to equate skulls with evil. Snakes are the devil in some religions, and worshipped as gods in others. I'm told in Japan the color white is correlated with death, so it's all quite subjective depending on one's vantage point.
That experience reminded me of reoccurring themes in the interviews I've given over the years, where I'll often comment that my Lovecraftian creatures don't really seem evil to me and that I see more of an alien sense of wonder in them. Perhaps it's the lighting or inhuman anatomy and textures in the paintings that are commonly associated with 'bad guys' that makes the sense of wonder harder for others to perceive? This question sparked the inspiration for my latest painting, what if some of the context were to change- would that change people's perceptions? The current working title is 'A Welcome Visitor', acrylic 13x13":
I'd enjoy hearing people's impressions on this one. Oh, by the way, for some reason my blog software took it's sweet time letting me know there were some comments waiting to be approved from my last entry. I only just discovered them a couple days back but I did appreciate and reply to them. Thanks!
Some might recall a portrait painting I did of Lovecraft for Miskatonic River Press, it's now in print and ready for orders:
cheers!
~Paul
I guess one could call it a New Year's resolution, I've told myself that I will create more art for myself this year. Don't get me wrong, illustration can be rewarding and interesting, but it can also involve a deal of compromise that can leave an artist wondering what his or her art might look like if it were wholly self guided. No doubt, much of my voice often seeps through any assignment, but I am still trying to please someone more than myself. So, what would I want to paint? To tell you the truth, I found that a bit of an overwhelming question. Too many different directions come to mind, it's hard to know which way to go and when to pause and further explore any given idea. I've become so accustomed to being given the dimensions, subject matter and a time frame to work within, it's sort of strange for there to be no pre-set parameters. I started sketching and sketching, revising and changing both the subject and environment, presumably it could have gone on forever but I was eager to paint. I decided to settle on one idea with the idea in mind that I would simply observe what I liked about it and what I'd like to see more of, and with the next piece I could refine my direction. It's a little less overwhelming to think of it more a journey and exploration. A recent experience spawned a concept...
Last Halloween I went to a steampunk themed event, though I didn't happen to have a steampunk costume in my closet I wore something vaguely related. A little too high-tech I suppose, but it was the closest thing I had on hand:
Someone came up to me and commented about how she never sees steampunk villains, and judged me to be one. For some reason, that judgement struck me as funny- who said I was a villain? Yes, there's a skull in there, but I think it's more of a cultural conditioning of ours to equate skulls with evil. Snakes are the devil in some religions, and worshipped as gods in others. I'm told in Japan the color white is correlated with death, so it's all quite subjective depending on one's vantage point.
That experience reminded me of reoccurring themes in the interviews I've given over the years, where I'll often comment that my Lovecraftian creatures don't really seem evil to me and that I see more of an alien sense of wonder in them. Perhaps it's the lighting or inhuman anatomy and textures in the paintings that are commonly associated with 'bad guys' that makes the sense of wonder harder for others to perceive? This question sparked the inspiration for my latest painting, what if some of the context were to change- would that change people's perceptions? The current working title is 'A Welcome Visitor', acrylic 13x13":
I'd enjoy hearing people's impressions on this one. Oh, by the way, for some reason my blog software took it's sweet time letting me know there were some comments waiting to be approved from my last entry. I only just discovered them a couple days back but I did appreciate and reply to them. Thanks!
Some might recall a portrait painting I did of Lovecraft for Miskatonic River Press, it's now in print and ready for orders:
cheers!
~Paul
Another warped mind...
Hello!
If you recall two blog entries ago I did an illustration for the band Cruxiter's upcoming self-titled CD release. Well, now I am happy to unveil the front cover! It features the Cruxiter itself, an alien artifact full of strange and bizarre knowledge that is far too powerful for human minds to comprehend. However, as dangerous as it is, the temptation to resist that knowledge is too strong to resist. Here on the cover we see yet another who has tried and failed to unlock it:
Acrylic 13x13" Once again my illustration experiences with musicians continue to be very enjoyable ones, I think it's because they are sympathetic to the creative process and are willing to let me run wild with my imagination and what excites me. I guess the comparison would be if I were to commission a band to make me a soundtrack- I could hang over their shoulders and micro-manage every single note, or I could trust them to run with what drives and excites them. I'm very happy with the outcome and so are they! I am enjoying this new direction in my art and am looking to see where it takes me. I wish the best for the band, their upcoming CD and tour.
In other news, I've been interviewed for the artvenue.com blog- please check it out:
http://blog.artvenue.com/2011/11/artist-spotlight-paul-carrick/ Thanks to Lex for the great opportunity! If you have a site, blog, zine, etc., and are looking for content (an interview or artist's spotlight) please feel free to contact me!
Last but not least, I wish to thank all the people who shared their interpretations (publicly and privately) of my last painting from my last blog entry It was fun and enlightening, and I would love to do it again.
cheers!
~Paul
If you recall two blog entries ago I did an illustration for the band Cruxiter's upcoming self-titled CD release. Well, now I am happy to unveil the front cover! It features the Cruxiter itself, an alien artifact full of strange and bizarre knowledge that is far too powerful for human minds to comprehend. However, as dangerous as it is, the temptation to resist that knowledge is too strong to resist. Here on the cover we see yet another who has tried and failed to unlock it:
Acrylic 13x13" Once again my illustration experiences with musicians continue to be very enjoyable ones, I think it's because they are sympathetic to the creative process and are willing to let me run wild with my imagination and what excites me. I guess the comparison would be if I were to commission a band to make me a soundtrack- I could hang over their shoulders and micro-manage every single note, or I could trust them to run with what drives and excites them. I'm very happy with the outcome and so are they! I am enjoying this new direction in my art and am looking to see where it takes me. I wish the best for the band, their upcoming CD and tour.
In other news, I've been interviewed for the artvenue.com blog- please check it out:
http://blog.artvenue.com/2011/11/artist-spotlight-paul-carrick/ Thanks to Lex for the great opportunity! If you have a site, blog, zine, etc., and are looking for content (an interview or artist's spotlight) please feel free to contact me!
Last but not least, I wish to thank all the people who shared their interpretations (publicly and privately) of my last painting from my last blog entry It was fun and enlightening, and I would love to do it again.
cheers!
~Paul
Perhaps you can explain this one...
Much of being an artist-slash-illustrator involves stuff that has very little to do with painting, but they are means to allow the painting part to happen. But, when the ratio of creating to chores becomes a little out of proportion, I can get the urge to make something in whatever time I can scrounge. I did this one a few weeks back, I had no plan but just attacked the surface with some abstract shapes and color. At some point I started seeing some forms in there and began fleshing them out and trying to apply some sense of logic to make them more believable. I used acrylic because I didn't have a big window of time to work around some of casein's slower-paced qualities, and that actually made me more appreciative of the medium I had used exclusively for years.
Ports 8.5x11" acrylic on illustration board
I can't tell you what this one is about, in fact when I was painting it I wasn't even certain which side of the painting should be up or down because they all worked. I'd be curious to hear what people think is depicted in the painting.
~Paul
~Paul