Clive’s Five Paintings that Inspire Me!!!

This past year as I’ve been rediscovering Clive Barker’s work there’s a part of his artistic universe that I’ve never ventured into which is his truly imaginative world of art and photography. When I was growing up I was only interested in the movies, novels, and comic-books that he put out. Now looking back I feel like such a fool for ignoring such beautiful artwork and imagery. For this edition of Clive’s Five I wanted to share some of Clive’s work that really inspires me on a emotional and imaginary level.

“Babilonium” has many qualities that remind me of Nightbreed. There are many tribal elements to this piece. I really love this image because it makes me feel like there’s more to the universe than simple man made ideals. It’s a tribe of acceptance, love, and friendship. The more different you are, the better. Which I think has always been a strong theme in Clive’s work. It kind of reminds me of the 1932 film Freaks directed by Tod Browning. The quote from that film, “Gobble, Gobble, one of us”, really works well here. It also looks like a fucking cool place to hang out.

“The Kiss” fills me with hope for a more accepting future that goes beyond the traditional values that have plagued our society for far too long. It captures the beauty, fire, and that love is universal among us all. Luckily, things seem to be changing for the better. The passion in this painting is so strong that the figures looks like they’re almost morphing into one another to become one being. In the end isn’t that what love boils down to?

“The Surgeon” seems to have many themes growing inside of it. I’ve broken it down into loneliness, slavery, and insanity. The figure known as the Surgeon seems to have finished a section of a piece that goes to something much bigger that we can’t see beyond the painting. His pale white eyes are tired looking and lost in a state that feels like he’s reached a point of no return in his mind. His blue skin goes further to represent that he’s devoid of life except to finish the next task that he’s going to be given. He’s a slave to this creation that continues to grow into whatever it’s true master wants it to be and the Surgeon is the mother and father to make sure it is completed. A life a of servitude that long lasting and death seems like a welcome friend. Powerful stuff.

“Death’s Womb” is about dying before you’re even born into this world and when you are the death sentence beings. Life is death once out of the womb. Simple and very powerful message.

“The Stitching’s Howl” is another piece that has tribal qualities to it. It’s a death tribe that seem to welcome and accept it. It also feels like it’s looking at you: Are you ready to die? A scary but honest question to ask anyone.

To state it simply, Clive Barker’s artwork makes me feel alive. If I’m having a bad day I pull out my copy of Illustrator Vol. One and look at it for a few minutes and I feel much better. Another powerful part of Clive’s art is that it makes my own imagination want to be something more that it is. It makes me want reach into the depths of my heart and soul and take chances with whatever emotion I’m feeling at that moment. Whether it be love, hate, happiness, or sadness his work has given me the confidence to take chances and go deeper than I ever thought I could go. And to Clive I would like to say thank you for that.

I also want to thank Thomas Negovan for helping me find the names for some of these paintings. I’d also like to point you to the RealCliveBarker.com Store where you can purchase the excellent art book IMAGINER Vol. 1 which I need to get a copy of.

To our listeners I encourage you to share your favorite paintings that Clive has done that fills you with inspiration. Let’s us know in the comments section below.