Clark Ashton Smith, an untutored genius self-educated in both poetry and pulp, also turned his restless mind to art. In everything from his simple line sketches and watercolor landscapes, to his carving and sculpture, Smith demonstrates the same characteristics of baroque intricacy, imaginative grotesquery, and dark humor that are a hallmark of his writing.
With names like “Venusian Swamp-Man,” “The King of Hyperborea,” and “Dagon,” it’s clear that Smith’s imaginative vision was an all-encompassing aesthetic of the Weird, and everything he turned his hand to over a lifetime of feverish creativity bears a uniquely Klarkashtonian stamp.
All of these images are from the excellent online resource The Eldritch Dark: The Sanctum of Clark Ashton Smith, an unparalleled database of all things CAS.
