Most people know of Clive Barker primarily due to the Hellraiser movies based on his novella The Hellbound Heart. He also wrote and directed the film. Many people are also fans of his large work of bizarre horror writing, which focus on fantastic worlds, dark horror and the juxtaposition of sexuality and horror. His unique writing style has brought him much critical acclaim and recognition.
What you may be unaware of is that he is also an accomplished visual artist in his own right. Many of his books are illustrated with cover art based on his paintings, with pencil sketches of various characters throughout. These include his famous Books of Blood series, as well as his children’s novel The Thief of Time. |
“The paintings of Francis Bacon to my eye are very beautiful. The paintings of Bosch or Goya are to my eye very beautiful. I've also stood in front of those same paintings with people who've said, 'let's get on to the Botticellis as soon as possible.' I have lingered, of course.” - Clive Barker
Just as his written works have their own unique perspective, voice and style that is instantly recognisable as Clive Barker, so too do his drawings and paintings. His visual art has been released in two collections, which today are much sought after by collectors:
Barker makes a large variety of his artwork, including oil paintings and sketches, available for you to view on his website. Check them out here and be introduced to the wonderful visual accompaniment to his written word. See the imagination of Clive Barker brought to life. |
“Writing about the unholy is one way of writing about what is sacred. ” - Clive Barker
“Any fool can be happy. It takes a man with real heart to make beauty out of the stuff that makes us weep.” - Clive Barker