While Ray Bradbury was certainly seen as creative for his many writing endeavors including short stories, novels, screenplays, and even operas—many don’t know he was also passionate about art.

He was a big fan of comics in his youth and often illustrated his own stories to continue the adventures of heroes like Tarzan and Buck Rogers.

Later on, he began to use his basement office as a studio where he would sketch and paint whatever inspired him.

Bradbury painted many works and doodles at this very desk

Many of his notes and correspondence often contained little doodles of monster faces and mythical machines. His most famous painting, however, was the Halloween Tree, which later became the feature of one of his most well-known stories of the same name.

By Morgan Coffman, Museum Studies Intern