Ray Bradbury dead at 91

[c0wb0y]

I was sad to read of this today. I was already a big fan of his work in high school.

During my freshman year at college he visited my school as a guest lecturer. I was a painting and drawing major. His very first visit when he arrived was to our art class.

He visited with us and looked at whatever we were drawing that day. He and I talked about talents as he was looking at my drawing. He related how he used to draw, but he lacked any real talent for it. He admired that other people could see something and translate that to paper. I said it was obvious he found where his talents were hidden. I asked him to draw something and sign it in my sketch book. He drew a funny little dragon and signed it for me. He said he was only ever good at drawing this monster. We had a good laugh and he visited with some other students before going on with his schedule for the day.

I'll have to locate that sketch book and a photo that was taken of us. That day is among my favorite experiences ever.

[aaron]

I was sad to read of this today. I was already a big fan of his work in high school.

During my freshman year at college he visited my school as a guest lecturer. I was a painting and drawing major. His very first visit when he arrived was to our art class.

He visited with us and looked at whatever we were drawing that day. He and I talked about talents as he was looking at my drawing. He related how he used to draw, but he lacked any real talent for it. He admired that other people could see something and translate that to paper. I said it was obvious he found where his talents were hidden. I asked him to draw something and sign it in my sketch book. He drew a funny little dragon and signed it for me. He said he was only ever good at drawing this monster. We had a good laugh and he visited with some other students before going on with his schedule for the day.

I'll have to locate that sketch book and a photo that was taken of us. That day is among my favorite experiences ever.

that totally rules and i am genuinely envious.

[c0wb0y]

Waaaaay late but I finally found the photo I mentioned after his passing...
I'm handing him my sketchbook in this photo.

[Key-Glyph]

Waaaaay late but I finally found the photo I mentioned after his passing...
I'm handing him my sketchbook in this photo.

Wow, that is cool. Can I ask what sorts of drawings were in the sketchbook? And did he comment on them?

[c0wb0y]

Wow, that is cool. Can I ask what sorts of drawings were in the sketchbook? And did he comment on them?

I was 18 and listening to Nine Inch Nails constantly, so there was plenty of angst-y figures in there.
We also had 2 Chinese artists visiting, so I practiced and received lessons in still life and landscape from them - that was pretty cool. We didn't share a language so it was a lot of pointing, charades and handing the charcoal back and forth to show what we were trying to do. It was very collaborative in a way that artists usually don't experience.
And I was starting to do self portraits and portraits of friends.

Mr. Bradbury drew a simple comic strip dragon - like Disney's Elliot from Pete's Dragon. He did take a look at some of my drawings. He said we was always envious of people that could draw and that he was never very good at it. But he always wanted to be able to draw better. My opinion: He was really good at painting with words.

[jvalentine98]

Damn I thought he died a long time ago.

[Pulsar_t]

"Ｔｈｅｙ ｋｎｅｗ ｈｏｗ ｔｏ ｌｉｖｅ ｗｉｔｈ ｎａｔｕｒｅ ａｎｄ ｇｅｔ ａｌｏｎｇ ｗｉｔｈ ｎａｔｕｒｅ． Ｔｈｅｙ ｄｉｄｎ＇ｔ ｔｒｙ ｔｏｏ ｈａｒｄ ｔｏ ｂｅ ａｌｌ ｍｅｎ ａｎｄ ｎｏ ａｎｉｍａｌ． Ｔｈａｔ＇ｓ ｔｈｅ ｍｉｓｔａｋｅ ｗｅ ｍａｄｅ ｗｈｅｎ Ｄａｒｗｉｎ ｓｈｏｗｅｄ ｕｐ． Ｗｅ ｅｍｂｒａｃｅｄ ｈｉｍ ａｎｄ Ｈｕｘｌｅｙ ａｎｄ Ｆｒｅｕｄ， ａｌｌ ｓｍｉｌｅｓ． Ａｎｄ ｔｈｅｎ ｗｅ ｄｉｓｃｏｖｅｒｅｄ ｔｈａｔ Ｄａｒｗｉｎ ａｎｄ ｏｕｒ ｒｅｌｉｇｉｏｎｓ ｄｉｄｎ＇ｔ ｍｉｘ． Ｏｒ ａｔ ｌｅａｓｔ ｗｅ ｄｉｄｎ＇ｔ ｔｈｉｎｋ ｔｈｅｙ ｄｉｄ， Ｗｅ ｗｅｒｅ ｆｏｏｌｓ． Ｗｅ ｔｒｉｅｄ ｔｏ ｂｕｄｇｅ Ｄａｒｗｉｎ ａｎｄ Ｈｕｘｌｅｙ ａｎｄ Ｆｒｅｕｄ． Ｔｈｅｙ ｗｏｕｌｄｎ＇ｔ ｍｏｖｅ ｖｅｒｙ ｗｅｌｌ． Ｓｏ， ｌｉｋｅ ｉｄｉｏｔｓ， ｗｅ ｔｒｉｅｄ ｋｎｏｃｋｉｎｇ ｄｏｗｎ ｒｅｌｉｇｉｏｎ．

"Ｗｅ ｓｕｃｃｅｅｄｅｄ ｐｒｅｔｔｙ ｗｅｌｌ． Ｗｅ ｌｏｓｔ ｏｕｒ ｆａｉｔｈ ａｎｄ ｗｅｎｔ ａｒｏｕｎｄ ｗｏｎｄｅｒｉｎｇ ｗｈａｔ ｌｉｆｅ ｗａｓ ｆｏｒ． Ｉｆ ａｒｔ ｗａｓ ｎｏ ｍｏｒｅ ｔｈａｎ ａ ｆｒｕｓｔｒａｔｅｄ ｏｕｔｆｌｉｎｇｉｎｇ ｏｆ ｄｅｓｉｒｅ， ｉｆ ｒｅｌｉｇｉｏｎ ｗａｓ ｎｏ ｍｏｒｅ ｔｈａｎ ｓｅｌｆ－ｄｅｌｕｓｉｏｎ， ｗｈａｔ ｇｏｏｄ ｗａｓ ｌｉｆｅ？ Ｆａｉｔｈ ｈａｄ ａｌｗａｙｓ ｇｉｖｅｎ ｕｓ ａｎｓｗｅｒｓ ｔｏ ａｌｌ ｔｈｉｎｇｓ． Ｂｕｔ ｉｔ ａｌｌ ｗｅｎｔ ｄｏｗｎ ｔｈｅ ｄｒａｉｎ ｗｉｔｈ Ｆｒｅｕｄ ａｎｄ Ｄａｒｗｉｎ， ｗｅ ｗｅｒｅ ａｎｄ ｓｔｉｌｌ ａｒｅ ａ ｌｏｓｔ ｐｅｏｐｌｅ．"

I re-read The Martian Chronicles recently and I found that passage to be incredibly poignant.