Pickman's Muse

"Pickman's Muse" is a short Cthulhu Mythos story by American author K. H. Vaughn. It was published in the Matthew Carpenter-edited anthology Pickman's Gallery by Ulthar Press in 2018.
==Synopsis==
The story charts the development of Richard Upton Pickman during his student days as a young artist railing against the stuffy, unchanging nature of the artistic community in the early 20th century, to the tempering of his work in order to gain acceptance by the local art patrons, and finally to realise what he needs to release his potential.
At the same time it relates his relationships with two wildly different women, one the scion of a wealthy Boston family with a rebellious streak, the other a Ghoul working as entertainment in a disreputable speakeasy. Although both women provide him with inspiration for his work, in order to realise his true potential and become his muse, one must die at the hands of the other.
==Characters==
*Richard Upton Pickman, a talented young artist who feels his work is directionless.
*Jane Channing, a young dilettante whose interest in Pickman leads to her gruesome demise.
*Althea, a stripper at a seedy nightclub, she uses a veil and strategically-placed feathers to hide her Ghoul nature.
Category:K. H. Vaughn works
Category:Expanded Mythos Works