The Day It Rained Forever

The Day It Rained Forever, by Ray Bradbury (© 1959)¹, tells of the stale lives of three elderly men who live in an abandoned hotel in a scorching desert. The men wait for the one day of rainfall each year, and when that particular day passes by without a drop one year, the men are close to despair. The arrival of Ms. Hillgood, a retired music teacher, at the front door of their lonely hotel brings a respite friom the heat for the shriveled men. Bradbury's story explores the persistence of hope, and the power of music to transform an environment. The pulsating heat oppressing the men on every side is washed away by the music of Ms. Hillgood's harp; it brings the sensation of flooding rain to the men, and with each note she touches, she restores their faith and quenches their thirst for beauty. My series of paintings describes Bradbury's plot, but more importantly seeks to capture the soul of his story.

​

1. Ray Bradbury, "The Day It Rained Forever" (1959) reprinted in The Stories of Ray Bradbury Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. New York: 1990. (pgs. 497-505).