This film is part of Free

Bill Brookes - Painter of Darwen

A self-taught Lancashire artist reflects on the town that inspired his creative career.

Documentary 1976 11 mins

From the collection of:

Logo for North West Film Archive

Overview

Self-taught artist Bill Brookes is the subject of this absorbing documentary. Giving up a mill job to paint full-time was hard for a family man, but his determination paid off as he became the first artist to hold an exhibition in the small Lancashire town of his birth. Now secure in his vocation, he reflects upon the role of an artist, and how fame, even at a local level, can be a mixed blessing.