Martyn meets Brian Clarke, part two...

IMAGES in the Clarke’s glassworks for the “Pyramid of Peace and Reconciliation” in Kazakhstan.

1 More Image(s) In Gallery

In the second part of our profile of the famous Oldham-born artist, Brian talks about his latest project
OLDHAM itself is soon to become a focus of attention for Brian Clarke, Oldham’s internationally-acclaimed artist.

Brian, man of Limeside, will spend time in the town he proudly calls home, creating art in what he affectionately calls a “tremendously important” part of the world.

This genuinely compelling and intriguing giant of the art world has a fascination for the region’s industrial heritage and “something of an idea” for Oldham.

We chatted in his studio, an area of creative calm in an otherwise nondescript, sprawling urban suburb of London, of his life and times, his life, his love of all things creative. And art. He is still a man consumed by art, even though he has achieved so much and produced so much.

Brian’s reach touches virtually every part of the globe. The three largest pieces of stained glass anywhere on the planet are all his.

He mentions all this in passing; there are no airs and graces with Brian, a bloke who grins wolfishly as he admits he failed his 11 plus. And he remains one of us, an Oldhamer to his core.

He is planning a visit of around five weeks, during which time he will study the industrial heritage of the North-West in general and Oldham in particular.

My questions couldn’t prise any answers save an oblique: “I’ll create something that will capture the beauty and fascination of Oldham’s industrial heritage. I have always been fascinated by the cotton mills and the chimneys. The loss of the cotton mills in Oldham has had a tremendous impact upon me.

“Through my parents I am aware of the camaraderie of those days in the mills. And what is left?’ he asks.

Brian has persuaded his aunt, Mary Whitehead - who lives in Chadderton - to write down as much as she can of those days. Brian will draw on these experiences to create something for Oldham.

“My character was shaped irrevocably by my upbringing in Oldham and I am very proud of that.

“I feel I’m idling a bit. I don’t socialise too much, all I want to do is work. I want to prune some of the outside influences from my life.

“It must be possible to embrace all the thrilling and enthralling cotton past of Oldham. This is what I intend to do. I can feel things in me. It is playing on my mind a lot.”

The urge comes not from a commission but from the simple need he feels to put his feelings into art.

In fact he was inspired during his last visit to Oldham, when he chatted with Oldham Chronicle photographer Vincent Brown.

The pair share a love of all things Oldham and Vincent’s words triggered a hitherto unrecognised desire in Brian to “achieve something for Oldham”.

“If you hit the right notes can you discover what makes the town tick?” he asked, and quickly answered his own question: “I genuinely believe you can.”

So he will - and whether anyone wants it and does anything with it isn’t his concern.

Seldom have I been in the company of a man so passionate about the love of his life. In a flash we are off on another train of thought.

He asked a colleague to give me a tour of the studio while he attended to some business - and boy, what a tour.

My guide showed me a powerful image of a country house the team, directed by Brian, is redesigning — yet another example of the man’s creative reach. He has a fascination for architecture and his love of stained glass has allowed him to indulge this passion and marry the two art forms.

But there was too much to take in. Here were stained-glass images of The Beatles, stunning images in a glass technique perfected by Brian that allows the images to be viewed from either side.

I briefly asked Brian about his celebrity status but was brushed aside. “I have friends who are well known, who are famous, but to me they are just friends, as are all my other friends who less well known. I don’t draw distinctions. If I was a well known plumber I suppose I would know other well known plumbers and perhaps some well known painters and decorators...”

And then appeared a bottle, and not just any bottle. This is a bottle which Brian was asked to design by a company in Brazil, which is about to launch a spirit on the global market.

The bottle had to be iconic - my description - but which Brian admits is “deliciously beautiful”.

He reckons the spirit will soon be available in every bar in the world — which reveals just how enthusiastic he is about every aspect of his work. This is after all a container, which will be discarded as soon as its contents are consumed.

But as he says, on the way to that ending “there will be art, in its purest form, in every bar in the world.”

A huge smile of sheer satisfaction erupted on his face at the thought. For a fleeting moment, I felt part of the magic. Then he handed the bottle back to his colleague and moved on...

If I discovered anything at all during a riveting and utterly transforming morning in the company of Brian Clarke, it is that he is restless; ever anxious to move to the next project, the next challenge.

Right now that challenge is Oldham and its industrial heritage.

We should be grateful and cherish this man, who is welcome all over the world but still wants to be right here, documenting his, and our, history.