Born in 1953, Brian Clarke grew up in a working class suburb of Oldham in Lancashire. Displaying a precocious talent for drawing at a young age, he soon became well-known for his abilities and obtained scholarships to study in North Devon, and subsequently New York, Los Angeles, and Europe.
He decided to work in the hitherto neglected medium of stained glass, something normally associated with medieval and older artist. He soon acquired a reputation for producing radical, innovative designs, leading to commissions from institutions worldwide.
This profile showed him to be at heart a modest man, indebted to his ex-wife for many of his artistic inspirations, who has never lost contact with his roots. Returning to Oldham for the benefit of the television cameras, he took great pleasure in revisiting his old school, his old house, and the former home of the local art school where he had commenced his education.
His designs came across as both artistically and aesthetically satisfying,a combination of tradition and innovation that appeal to everyone. In clips from a lecture given to architectural students, we learned a lot about what inspires him to continue, and how that inspiration remains undimmed even after a lengthy career.
As an introduction to stained glass window art, this program was both entertaining and informative - just the kind of thing the BBC remain especially good at.
