"Dark Carnival" by Ray Bradbury ©1948

Literary icon Ray Bradbury will unveil a different kind of artistry next week, with his first public showing of a new giclée print at the Santa Monica gallery Every Picture Tells a Story. The author best known for the acclaimed books The Martian Chronicles and Fahrenheit 451 has been painting since the 1930′s, and often depicts subject matter inspired by his writing. Such is the case with his new print, made from a darkly ominous oil painting completed in 1948, un-offically titled Dark Carnival after his collection of short stories with the same name. In an interview with “Hero Complex” columnist Geoff Boucher, Bradbury explains the inspiration for this piece: “I didn’t like the original cover that was on the book when it came out so I designed my own. I made this painting and hoped that someone would use it as the cover in the future.” Several decades later, Bradbury’s hope became reality when Gauntlet Press printed a Dark Carnival special edition in 2001, which featured his painting on the cover.

Dark Carnival is Bradbury’s third work to be turned into a giclée print and featured at the Every Picture Tells a Story gallery. It has a limited print run of only 200, all signed by the artist. There will be a public reception at the gallery on October 24, 2009 at 4 p.m (1311-C Montana Ave, Santa Monica). All three of his prints will be available for purchase at that time. Bradbury will attend the reception, then later at 7:30 p.m., he will introduce a screening of Something Wicked This Way Comes (adapted from his novel) at American Cinematheque at the Aero Theatre, across the street from the gallery (1328 Montana Ave).

Read entire Los Angeles Times “Hero Complex” interview