Clive's Studio: 2005 to date
Clive has always drawn and painted alongside his writing and other creative work. His larger scale oil paintings have come to greater prominence in recent years through publication of the Abarat volumes, but his wider range of work has been celebrated in gallery exhibitions in New York and Chicago and in several galleries in the Los Angeles area. They have also been showcased in the two Illustrator books (1990 and 1993), in 2005's Visions of Heaven and Hell and now in Century Guild's wonderful Imaginer books.On rare occasions over the years, Clive has allowed film crews and photographers into his studio to watch him paint or to capture the place where works are created.
With thanks to Clive for allowing us to share in that experience, here we collect some images of the artist at work. Earlier studio photos: (1994 to 2004)
Transmission Atelier In The Studio - November 2014
The Studio
Over the past several months, the studio has become the beating heart of the digital archiving of Clive's artwork as Jim Kay of Transmission Atelier scans the canvases one-by-one. We've started a separate visual capture of this process here...The Studio - March 2014
The Studio
The Beautiful Moment with Christopher Carrion as the digital archiving of the canvases gets underway. The walls are white again after an enforced redecoration of the studio after a January 2013 flood...The Studio - July 2012
The Studio
With Clive recovering from his January 2012 toxic shock coma, the studio rests quietly with one or two new works on paper being brought into the studio.The Studio - November 2011
The Studio
Smaller canvases line the stairwells as the studio acts as a gallery for visitors.The Studio - October 2010
The Studio
With Clive now painting primarily in his new art room next door, the studio is acting as a gallery and to house the newest works created specifically to accompany the text of Abarat 3.In The Art Room - June 2010
MOCA Contemporaries
In the first public showing of his newly set up art room, and flanked by two of his earliest Abarat portraits, Clive hosts a live painting session for one of MOCA Contemporaries' in-house events. MOCA have more from the event on their Flickr stream...Photos by Kenny Goldberg
In The Studio - April 2009
Canvas On Canvas...
Temporarily acting as a storage space for the paintings from the gallery house, the canvases were stacked several deep all around the studio....In The Studio - Early 2009
First Concept Meeting For Dark Bazaar
Clive sketched and discussed concepts for his first Halloween line with Disguise, Dark Bazaar, in early 2009 with sculpture manager Jason Hite and others.In The Studio - August 2008
New And Old
A shot of Clive in conversation in front of a current painting for Abarat with one of the five Jump Tribe canvases in the background.
And in a quieter moment he lays down the first colours for a small Abarat oil.
Whilst these shots capture Clive at work on a new diptych.
In The Studio - June 2008
Billy Avarathar's Music Video, Beautiful
The studio became the venue for the filming of Billy Avarathar's Beautiful video.In The Studio - May 2008
Painting After Midnight...
Showing Clive's renewed energy after successful throat surgery, here's a shot by David Armstrong that David's kindly sent to us at here Revelations which shows Clive at work in the studio a little after midnight one night in early May 2008.In The Studio - April 2008
Painting Man
In preparation for an Imagining Man shoot, Clive paints his subject...In The Studio - April 2008
Assisting With Inkling Tree
On 6 April 2008, Clive hosted and added his encouragement and occasional input in the studio as a new painter created his very first picture in oils... Inspired by a tree near the Beverly Hills sign, Jason's canvas reads 'Land of the Inklings' and is signed 'Jason Stolarik w / help Clive Barker' and is now known as Inkling Tree...The Studio - February 2008
The Studio For Artwork And Photography
On our February 2008 visit, Clive showed us the huge wooden frame he's had constructed to act as the raw stage for his Imagining Man photography sessions, leaving the far end of the studio as his painting space.In The Studio - May 2007
Photo Shoot Prep
The shots above capture Clive in preparation for one of his many Imagining Man shoots. With the body painting easily taking as much creative time and effort as the shoot itself, the final photographs give only a glimpse into a complex creative collaboration.In The Studio - May 2007
Filming The Studio
In May 2007, Clive opened his doors to a film crew as part of the Man Behind The Myth documentary extra on the 2009 DVD / Blu-ray of Midnight Meat Train. Clive not only led the camera to some of the more remote corners of the studio, but also allowed it to capture him adding touches to a number of Abarat paintings.In The Illustration Room - May 2007
Prepping The City Fathers
Captured over two days of painting, these photos show Clive at work as he painted one of nine reference pieces for the design artists who would create the City Fathers for Midnight Meat Train. This piece is the Face of The Grandfather (inside cowl).In The Studio - March 2007
40 Cycle Hum In The Studio
In March 2007, Clive photographed vocalist Brandon Mitchell, guitarist Mark Zavon, bassist Kenny Lefort and drummer Francis Ruiz - otherwise known as the Los Angeles based rock group, 40 Cycle Hum - for a series of photographs as they worked on their third release, the album, Entertaining Misery, which would also feature Clive's artwork on its cover...The Studio - August 2006
The Studio In Black
As detailed in our July 2006 interview, Clive has had the studio repainted in black with black curtains, giving an entirely new look to his painting space.In The Studio - March 2006
Conduit
Clive painting Conduit in March 2006 in a series of photographs taken for presentation here at Revelations. The shaman figure channels energies from above, creating life in previously barren ground. Also shown here is the message Clive has painted boldly on one wall of the studio, a celebration of life and inspiration.In The Studio - December 2005
Promotional Photo
In publicity for Visions of Heaven and Hell - both the book and the Bert Green exhibition - The Los Angeles Times interviewed Clive and ran an article with a shot taken from the stairs down to the studio.In The Studio - November 2005
The Martyrs
Clive at work on a pair of paintings in November 2005. Originally conceived as part of a quartet of elemental martyrs for the December 2005 Bert Green exhibition in Los Angeles, these two did not reach completion in time (or with these eventual colours!) and Earth Martyr alone went into the exhibition.With Cornelia Funke - January 2005
With Cornelia Funke
Cornelia Funke came to visit in January 2005, along with an interviewer and photographer from Germany's Stern magazine.In The Studio - 2005
Locus
In March 2005, Locus ran a cover feature and interview with Clive and captured the artist in front of one of the works in the studio.
