Artist Interviews Magazine attended Clive Barker’s live painting show at the Bert Green Fine Art Gallery in downtown Los Angeles. Barker is a million-copy-selling novelist who produced and directed the horror movie “Hellraiser”, which spawned 7 sequels. Clive Barker is an award winning author of novels like “Gods and Monsters”, “Candyman” and “Nightbreed”, “Lord of Illusions”. His movie “Nightbreed” featured Canadian Director David Cronenberg of “A History of Violence”, “Dead Zone” and “Dead Ringers” in the role of Dr. Philip K. Decker.

By Mauricio Saravia - Photos by Victor Aguilar (all photos are copyrighted by Artist Interviews and Victor Aguilar).

His best selling novels have gained him a reputation as a mapmaker of the genre of horror, receiving praise from the media and by other remarkable celebrities like Stephen King, Larry King and Quentin Tarantino.

As an artist, Barker paints surreal, erotic and unusual images. His intense, colorful works are shown frequently in galleries in New York City.  As a writer, Barker has written the notable books “Imajica”, “Galilee”, “Coldheart Canyon”, “The Great and Secret Show”, “Damnation Game”, “The Thief of Always” and “The Books of Blood” among many others.  He is currently working on the “Abarat” series and has recently published a book of his paintings, “Clive Barker Visions of Heaven and Hell” and “Abarat: Days of Magic, Nights of War.” On the screen, he is working on “Animae Damnatae” which is announced for 2007 and the forthcoming “The History of the Devil” which will be a mini TV series.

Artist Interviews covered Barker’s unique “Zoomen” live painting show, where he painted on live models. Surreal images, some of them showing the dark side of human beings, painted in intense colors, decorated the background. It was fascinating to see Barker painting live. You could feel his passion for painting and expression. Barker worked around the models in a frantic circle, completely immersed in his creation. The audience observed him to apply the brush strokes while listening to classical music. After the models were painted, they each left the room and mingled with the crowd, creating a surreal and bizarre atmosphere, walking in carnival moves.

We spoke with Barker after the show. He is a nice and charming person who is completely unaware of his fame and importance in the art and entertainment industry. Barker posed for photos for his many fans.

Barker lives in California with his partner, the photographer David Armstrong and their daughter, Nicole. Barker and Armstrong's love and respect for animals has brought them to open their home to many animals. They live with five dogs, sixty fish, geckoes, cockatiels, an African gray parrot and an Amazon parrot.