0:00:03 > 0:00:06I'm on a wonderful Welsh adventure as I discover more
0:00:06 > 0:00:11about four outstanding artists influenced by this great land.
0:00:11 > 0:00:14During the series, as a tribute to them,
0:00:14 > 0:00:18I'll be creating drawings and paintings inspired by their art.
0:00:18 > 0:00:22I'm going to have to create in ways I've never done before.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26And at the end of it I'll probably turn to you and I'll say,
0:00:26 > 0:00:29"Can you tell what it is yet?"
0:00:48 > 0:00:52We're on our way to a magical island off the coast of North Wales
0:00:52 > 0:00:56to discover more about a little-known Welsh artist whose drawings
0:00:56 > 0:01:00and paintings have been a secret for far too long.
0:01:02 > 0:01:04This artist was one of a kind
0:01:04 > 0:01:07and her amazing art marked her out
0:01:07 > 0:01:09as one of the best of her generation.
0:01:09 > 0:01:13She combined painting with words and music and used brilliant
0:01:13 > 0:01:18blocks of colour in a unique style that was original and special.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23I'm on my way on a journey of discovery to find out
0:01:23 > 0:01:25more about the art
0:01:25 > 0:01:32and the personal tragedy of a fantastically talented artist,
0:01:32 > 0:01:33Brenda Chamberlain.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38Why don't we know more about Brenda Chamberlain?
0:01:38 > 0:01:42Well, if I'm going to paint a half decent tribute painting in her style
0:01:42 > 0:01:44I need to find out why
0:01:44 > 0:01:47she has been airbrushed out of the art history books.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51Next stop, the city where it all began.
0:01:55 > 0:01:59She was born in Bangor in 1912,
0:01:59 > 0:02:03painting and creating in this house,
0:02:03 > 0:02:06which was sort of like an artistic haven.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10Brenda embraced the free spirits who roamed the streets here
0:02:10 > 0:02:12searching for their next piece of inspiration.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15Growing up in traditional North Wales,
0:02:15 > 0:02:20she desperately tried to be more arty, upbeat and trendy.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22Her parents supported her through art school
0:02:22 > 0:02:25but they were a bit shocked by her wild, bohemian lifestyle.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28And it was the influence of a strong mother
0:02:28 > 0:02:33and a stern father that was to have the biggest impact on young Brenda.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35At every opportunity, she would try
0:02:35 > 0:02:40and escape from her stuffy conventional home life.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42And it certainly didn't take me long
0:02:42 > 0:02:46to find a few unconventional free sprits on the pier in Bangor.
0:02:46 > 0:02:51# Didn't we have a wonderful time the day we went to Bangor?
0:02:51 > 0:02:53# We had fun on the way
0:02:53 > 0:02:56# And all for under a pound A dollar, you know
0:02:56 > 0:02:59# On the way back, I cuddled with Jack... #
0:02:59 > 0:03:03'Amazingly, in Brenda's time, Bangor had an international reputation
0:03:03 > 0:03:07'for being the hip and happening city for all things arty.'
0:03:09 > 0:03:13After a few years, Brenda left for art college and the bright lights
0:03:13 > 0:03:17of London where she met and married fellow artist John Petts.
0:03:17 > 0:03:21They ran off to North Wales together to live here in this cottage,
0:03:21 > 0:03:22Tyr Mynydd, near Bangor.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26I headed off there with someone who knew Brenda,
0:03:26 > 0:03:28historian Ceridwen Lloyd Morgan,
0:03:28 > 0:03:31to find out how her passionate relationship
0:03:31 > 0:03:35with John Petts dramatically affected Brenda and her art.
0:03:37 > 0:03:38Oh, yes.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42Here's the original fireplace.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45Let me try and pronounce it before you go any further.
0:03:45 > 0:03:51ROLF READS INSCRIPTION
0:03:51 > 0:03:54"Let there be peace in this house."
0:03:54 > 0:03:57And I think it's John Petts who carved that
0:03:57 > 0:04:01while he and Brenda were living here.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04Brenda and John set up a printing press to create
0:04:04 > 0:04:07revolutionary art magazines with etchings and wood carvings.
0:04:07 > 0:04:08And the wonderful poetry
0:04:08 > 0:04:12and literature was dripping with Brenda's unique artistic flair.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15The idea was to bring art to the people.
0:04:15 > 0:04:21This meant that they wanted to have something affordable,
0:04:21 > 0:04:22that people could buy.
0:04:22 > 0:04:27The Penillion folk verses which were originally probably sung
0:04:27 > 0:04:29to harp accompaniment.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32I know a great Penillion to The Ash Grove. I don't know the words.
0:04:32 > 0:04:33Oh, right.
0:04:33 > 0:04:35ROLF HUMS
0:04:35 > 0:04:36Do the tune for me.
0:04:36 > 0:04:40THEY SING IN HARMONY
0:04:48 > 0:04:49Oh dear, sorry I went off tune at the end.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52- I don't care.- Good. - Nice Penillion.- Right.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54And where was the press?
0:04:54 > 0:04:57Well, I think they were working mainly downstairs,
0:04:57 > 0:05:00which would be through that door, I assume.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02But the pressure of two artists
0:05:02 > 0:05:06living and working together became too much and their relationship fell apart.
0:05:06 > 0:05:11It's very difficult when you are an artist,
0:05:11 > 0:05:17and as single minded an artist as Brenda always was,
0:05:17 > 0:05:20to compromise in any way,
0:05:20 > 0:05:26and I think she found it very difficult to deal with the compromises
0:05:26 > 0:05:30that are required in maintaining a long-term relationship, perhaps.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35Brenda was heartbroken and needed to escape.
0:05:36 > 0:05:40She feared her parents would be incensed by the scandal
0:05:40 > 0:05:43of her failed marriage, so she fled the cottage.
0:05:46 > 0:05:50She became instantly drawn to the promise of solitude
0:05:50 > 0:05:55and safety on Bardsey Island, 40 miles down the coast from Bangor.
0:05:55 > 0:05:56It was here that Brenda produced
0:05:56 > 0:06:00some of her most spectacular works of art,
0:06:00 > 0:06:04but I'd heard that it all came at great personal cost to Brenda.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07I just had to get to Bardsey to unlock the secrets
0:06:07 > 0:06:09of this magical island.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13Well, I know a little bit about Brenda's early life
0:06:13 > 0:06:17so it's time for me to start my tribute painting.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19The question is, what am I going to put in it?
0:06:19 > 0:06:22Obviously I should go to Bardsey Island
0:06:22 > 0:06:25if I want to be inspired the way Brenda was.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28But I've heard that it can be a tricky place to get to
0:06:28 > 0:06:31if the weather should turn rough.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34What you need is a skipper you can trust.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37Ahoy there, Captain Colin.
0:06:37 > 0:06:38Hey, Rolf. How are you?
0:06:38 > 0:06:42Good, take me to Bardsey.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46I couldn't wait to get to Bardsey to soak up the same atmosphere
0:06:46 > 0:06:47that influenced Brenda
0:06:47 > 0:06:51and meet the people who knew her well to find out what happened to her.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57On the short journey over I got chatting to skipper Colin Evans.
0:06:57 > 0:07:01He comes from a family of fishermen who have lived on the island
0:07:01 > 0:07:05and fished off the waters here for over 300 years.
0:07:05 > 0:07:06I asked him what to expect.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09The island's quite unique, really. It's still a living place.
0:07:09 > 0:07:14It's still a working farm, and in a way it hasn't changed much since Brenda's time.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17It was... There's less people living there,
0:07:17 > 0:07:19but in terms of the way the island looks
0:07:19 > 0:07:23and the atmosphere, I don't suppose it is that different.
0:07:23 > 0:07:27It's a fantastic place to live in, in many ways, and I challenge you
0:07:27 > 0:07:32not to feel spiritually enlightened when you get onto the island.
0:07:32 > 0:07:36It was the beauty and simplicity of Bardsey that led Brenda
0:07:36 > 0:07:40to produce her most spectacular and popular paintings.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42She began to use bold, solid colours
0:07:42 > 0:07:47and her art reflected the islanders' way of life, portraying them
0:07:47 > 0:07:49with an innocent beauty that was totally original.
0:07:51 > 0:07:56When they were shown in London during the 1960s, people loved them.
0:07:56 > 0:07:57Brenda won first prize twice
0:07:57 > 0:08:00in three years at the National Eisteddfod,
0:08:00 > 0:08:02which was unheard of at the time.
0:08:12 > 0:08:17Hello, Moll. Hello, Moll.
0:08:20 > 0:08:24I've arranged to meet Colin's mother, an award-winning poet
0:08:24 > 0:08:28who lives on the island, Christine Evans.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31Well, it's a marvellous-looking place.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33Right from the time I saw Christine and the dog
0:08:33 > 0:08:35walking along the skyline there.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39Magic feeling.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42Ah, come and meet my mother. This is Christine Evans, my mother.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45- She's been here for many years. - Hello, what a pleasure to meet you.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48I want to find out as much as I can about Brenda's time here.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50I'll tell you what I know.
0:08:50 > 0:08:55I'm hoping Christine can be my guide to the wonders of Bardsey.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58She's researched all about Brenda's life on the island
0:08:58 > 0:09:01and the way it influenced her and her art.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04What inspired Brenda?
0:09:04 > 0:09:07Well, everything about the island, I think.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09And because it was an island.
0:09:09 > 0:09:10She'd come from the middle of land,
0:09:10 > 0:09:13living up in the mountains near Bangor.
0:09:13 > 0:09:14Yeah.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18And here, surrounded by sea and the moods of the sea, and the different
0:09:18 > 0:09:22creatures that you come across, the whole of nature.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25Perhaps, particularly, the nights are so different here.
0:09:25 > 0:09:26In what way?
0:09:26 > 0:09:28Well, you feel very close to the stars
0:09:28 > 0:09:30because there's no light pollution.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33And it's a secure place, it's a haven, but you're surrounded
0:09:33 > 0:09:36by the wilderness and wilds of nature,
0:09:36 > 0:09:38and that's what she started to paint.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40As well, of course, as her neighbours
0:09:40 > 0:09:42and the relationships going on on the island as well.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47When Brenda first arrived in 1947, life was hard.
0:09:47 > 0:09:51She was still recovering from the break-up of her marriage
0:09:51 > 0:09:52and with very little money left,
0:09:52 > 0:09:56Brenda was unable to buy materials and paint.
0:09:56 > 0:09:58But that didn't stop her.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01She took to drawing on the walls of her own home
0:10:01 > 0:10:04to keep that creative spark alive.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07Amazingly, some of these murals still exist.
0:10:07 > 0:10:11And Christine took me to see them at Carreg Cottage,
0:10:11 > 0:10:13the place where Brenda lived for 14 years.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19One of the things Brenda said about this house is it's full of light,
0:10:19 > 0:10:21and you can see that.
0:10:22 > 0:10:24Very strong use of colour, isn't there?
0:10:24 > 0:10:28Yes, and a nice line, too, gutsy.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31- Yeah, the curve of that boat. - Strong.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33You see how the light comes in here.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36You can imagine her sitting here painting, coming out of her studio and painting.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39I think she said nearly all the walls in the house have been
0:10:39 > 0:10:41covered in paint, have got paintings on them.
0:10:41 > 0:10:45I think she said, not so much for decoration as because,
0:10:45 > 0:10:47you know, she had problems getting canvas.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49So you feel the urge to paint something or plan a picture,
0:10:49 > 0:10:53as of course we can be cut off here for weeks at a time.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55Yeah, and canvas that size, that's a huge...
0:10:55 > 0:10:58Brenda was truly inspired by Bardsey
0:10:58 > 0:11:02and she quickly began capturing the wildlife and the islanders
0:11:02 > 0:11:05at work struggling to survive in this barren and desolate place.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09If my tribute is going to be any way near half decent,
0:11:09 > 0:11:12I just have to start experiencing the wonders for myself
0:11:12 > 0:11:16and get it all down in my sketch book.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27SEAL HONKS
0:11:27 > 0:11:29ROLF MIMICS SEAL
0:11:42 > 0:11:44Brenda loved painting local fishermen
0:11:44 > 0:11:46and while on Bardsey she produced
0:11:46 > 0:11:50one of her most famous paintings, The Man With The John Dory.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59Christine introduced me to her husband Ernest,
0:11:59 > 0:12:01the local lobster fisherman and it gave me an idea.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03How are you?
0:12:03 > 0:12:05I'm very well, and you?
0:12:05 > 0:12:07I thought I'd ask him to take me out for a trip on his boat
0:12:07 > 0:12:11to see him at work and hopefully get some ideas for my tribute painting.
0:12:19 > 0:12:23So how long has your family been fishing this area?
0:12:23 > 0:12:26Oh, the fishing effort has been the same here for generations, I expect.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29The same number of pots being lifted.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31OK, there's less of us fishing now, just me.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33Did you actually know Brenda?
0:12:33 > 0:12:37Yes, I was quite small when she was here, sort of ten, twelvish,
0:12:37 > 0:12:39I think, that sort of age.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41You knew of her, rather than personally.
0:12:41 > 0:12:42I knew of her rather than, yes, yeah.
0:12:47 > 0:12:51Watching Ernest and the lobsters
0:12:51 > 0:12:54and seeing him working the boat
0:12:54 > 0:12:59and thinking back over the generations of fishermen before him,
0:12:59 > 0:13:02I think I can see how...
0:13:04 > 0:13:05..Brenda Chamberlain
0:13:05 > 0:13:09would've been inspired to do paintings of the local fishermen.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13Do you reckon it'd be OK to try
0:13:13 > 0:13:17and do a painting of you in the style of Brenda Chamberlain?
0:13:17 > 0:13:19Yes, I suppose.
0:13:19 > 0:13:20Yeah?
0:13:20 > 0:13:21Yeah.
0:13:21 > 0:13:22Very good.
0:13:26 > 0:13:30Well, I've found a lovely spot near the harbour
0:13:30 > 0:13:32and positioned my subject, Ernest.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34I've decided to base my tribute
0:13:34 > 0:13:37on Brenda's classic paintings of fishermen.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40But what's really worrying me is whether I'll be able to capture
0:13:40 > 0:13:42her terrific use of colour,
0:13:42 > 0:13:45shapes and that special bond she had with the islanders.
0:13:47 > 0:13:51Get that, the edge of that waterproof trouser thing there.
0:13:51 > 0:13:52- What do they call them? - Chest waders.
0:13:52 > 0:13:54Ah good, chest waders. Good.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57I'll use that as the darkest colour.
0:13:57 > 0:14:01Brenda Chamberlain seemed to do very simplistic colours.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03Flat blocks of colour.
0:14:03 > 0:14:09And so I want to try and do the same sort of thing with Ernest here.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12And there's a couple of gorgeous lines that go down there.
0:14:12 > 0:14:16When I say gorgeous, I don't want you to get too excited.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19I think I'll do a bit of flesh tone on you now, OK?
0:14:25 > 0:14:29I'm going to start putting in some lighter colour on the cap,
0:14:29 > 0:14:31the top of the cap.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34I'll try some blue, bluey shadows, there.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37Yes, it's looking good.
0:14:37 > 0:14:38That's good.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45You know, Brenda was a fantastic artist
0:14:45 > 0:14:49but I understand she had another great passion writing.
0:14:49 > 0:14:56And she became almost as obsessed with words as she was with painting.
0:14:56 > 0:15:00Now I need to find out about this obsession with words that she had
0:15:00 > 0:15:04and see if there's some way that I can get some writing
0:15:04 > 0:15:05into my painting.
0:15:09 > 0:15:15Quite often Brenda included words and simple letters in her paintings.
0:15:15 > 0:15:17Such as these letters in her fabulous painting The Doves.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23I was amazed to find that Brenda also wrote a novel
0:15:23 > 0:15:24about her time on Bardsey.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27It was called Tide-race.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30The book sold thousands.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33It was sort of island fantasy-cum-soap opera
0:15:33 > 0:15:35and it mixed up the real goings on
0:15:35 > 0:15:38with made up yarns about the actual people who lived there.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42It was a recipe for disaster.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44The islanders were furious
0:15:44 > 0:15:48and it left Brenda's relationship with them in tatters.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51I asked Christine to take me back to Brenda's study,
0:15:51 > 0:15:55to tell me how one little book could cause such a storm.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58So this is the famous Tide-race I've heard so much about.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01Yes, this is the book she wrote.
0:16:01 > 0:16:05What was the islanders' reaction to this book when it came out?
0:16:05 > 0:16:09I think they felt just, in a sense, betrayed.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11The islanders didn't like being written about,
0:16:11 > 0:16:14even when they came off well, like my mother-in-law.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16And the only thing that was said about her
0:16:16 > 0:16:18was that she was pigeon-breasted.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20She never forgave Brenda for that.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23Yeah, understandable.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26What Brenda included devastated the islanders.
0:16:26 > 0:16:31It exposed to the world some pretty private personal secrets
0:16:31 > 0:16:35and there was one tragic event that was particularly upsetting.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39A baby died, aged three months old, in Cristin -
0:16:39 > 0:16:41which is now the bird observatory,
0:16:41 > 0:16:47and nobody ever spoke about this. And it was terrible weather and he had to be buried on the island
0:16:47 > 0:16:52and in fact Brenda said the words over his grave.
0:16:52 > 0:16:54The islanders felt she shouldn't have mentioned it.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57- It was something they wanted to keep among themselves.- Yeah.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00Brenda didn't come back after it was published.
0:17:00 > 0:17:04And do you think Tide-race brought a close to Brenda's time on Bardsey?
0:17:06 > 0:17:10Yes, I do, I think. I think she'd finished with the island, in a sense.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13She'd taken everything she needed from it, and she had moved on,
0:17:13 > 0:17:19and I think she probably did feel that she had in some sense betrayed confidences
0:17:19 > 0:17:21and trusts in respect of that.
0:17:21 > 0:17:23- Didn't dare come back, perhaps. - Possibly.
0:17:24 > 0:17:28Her book has certainly shown me how important words were to Brenda
0:17:28 > 0:17:32and I've got to try and include some letters or writing
0:17:32 > 0:17:33in my tribute painting
0:17:33 > 0:17:35if I'm going to do her justice.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39But where am I going to get them from?
0:17:41 > 0:17:45I'm beginning to realise that Brenda felt
0:17:45 > 0:17:47she could paint pictures with words
0:17:47 > 0:17:50just as well as she could with a brush.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53And here on Bardsey she tried to capture the relationship
0:17:53 > 0:17:57between people and nature both in her paintings
0:17:57 > 0:17:59and in her writing.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02And I've decided that I've got to get some writing
0:18:02 > 0:18:03into this picture somehow.
0:18:03 > 0:18:07Either words or just individual letters.
0:18:07 > 0:18:11I asked Ernest's wife Christine to do me a favour.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13Don't ask me who it is or I'll thump you!
0:18:15 > 0:18:17Christine's a local poet
0:18:17 > 0:18:21and she's written a verse for me about Ernest's life as a fisherman.
0:18:22 > 0:18:26"He rides the swell with shoulders square and feet set firm
0:18:26 > 0:18:29"Focused on the coiling rope
0:18:29 > 0:18:33"The snatch, the haul and lift as the tide delivers
0:18:33 > 0:18:37"Part of the flow of the Earth's slow turn."
0:18:37 > 0:18:42That's lovely. The hands callu... What is the line?
0:18:42 > 0:18:46The line is, "His palms plated with callus,"
0:18:46 > 0:18:48because of these pads of callus.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50Ah, plated with callus.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52"Each finger muscled." Muscled.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55Is that Maria Callas?
0:18:55 > 0:18:56- Yes, of course.- Of course.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59- Each finger muscled to grip the mackerel and the lobsters.- OK.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01Look at those muscley fingers.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04- They are, they are.- Yes. - Grasp it.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06Ouch!
0:19:08 > 0:19:12Hearing Christine's poem was really inspirational
0:19:12 > 0:19:14but how can I get those words into my painting?
0:19:14 > 0:19:16Let's see if I can crack it.
0:19:16 > 0:19:18OK, now the sky goes right across there,
0:19:18 > 0:19:20and I'm going to try and work out some of the words.
0:19:21 > 0:19:25"Part of the flow as the slow Earth turns."
0:19:25 > 0:19:26I like that.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38Sounds like Victor Silvester, "Quick, quick, slow."
0:19:40 > 0:19:42Are you not that old? Not as old as me? Oh, OK!
0:19:42 > 0:19:45"Slow Earth, the slow Earth turns."
0:19:51 > 0:19:56After Tide-race the islanders felt betrayed.
0:19:56 > 0:19:58Brenda was shunned by the community
0:19:58 > 0:20:00and forced to leave Bardsey, never to return.
0:20:02 > 0:20:06With the money she made from the book, Brenda escaped and headed off somewhere even more exotic,
0:20:06 > 0:20:12the Greek island of Hydra where she started producing what many believed
0:20:12 > 0:20:15were her most eccentric and obscure paintings.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18I need to follow in her footsteps
0:20:18 > 0:20:22and I know just the place to go to find out what happened next.
0:20:24 > 0:20:29With no expense spared, I've jetted off for a foreign experience
0:20:29 > 0:20:30just like Brenda used to do.
0:20:32 > 0:20:38Actually, we've saved a bob or two by coming to this Greek taverna in, of all places, Bangor.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47On Hydra, Brenda became even more bizarre,
0:20:47 > 0:20:50working with dancers and musicians,
0:20:50 > 0:20:53combining what she heard with what she painted.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56GREEK MUSIC PLAYS
0:21:14 > 0:21:18I love retsina. It's really ice cold, it's magic.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21I joined some of the people who knew Brenda well
0:21:21 > 0:21:26to find out more about how Greece affected her life and her art.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28- She was quite a passionate person. - Yeah?
0:21:28 > 0:21:30But very quiet.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33She didn't sort of express it outwardly
0:21:33 > 0:21:37as being an exuberant personality in any way.
0:21:37 > 0:21:39She was quite demure and quiet, wasn't she, really?
0:21:39 > 0:21:41But when you say she was passionate, she...
0:21:41 > 0:21:44- Passionate with her work. - She felt strongly?
0:21:44 > 0:21:46- Strongly about things. Yes, she did, yes.- Yes.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50To capture the passion of Greek dancers,
0:21:50 > 0:21:54she now started painting with her eyes closed,
0:21:54 > 0:21:57letting music guide her brush.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00But her new Greek paintings were slated by the critics.
0:22:00 > 0:22:04Many felt she'd lost her way and perhaps even lost her mind.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09Rejected by the art world, Brenda turned back to words,
0:22:09 > 0:22:14writing a controversial play called The Protagonists
0:22:14 > 0:22:16about the military coup in Greece.
0:22:16 > 0:22:20She came to a rehearsal on one occasion, for The Protagonists,
0:22:20 > 0:22:23and one of the actors wasn't there, so Brenda read in.
0:22:23 > 0:22:28Well, there was no call for this at all, but in order to get into the passion
0:22:28 > 0:22:33and feeling she suddenly got hold of her blouse and tore it apart.
0:22:35 > 0:22:41So suddenly, Brenda, who was really quite small,
0:22:41 > 0:22:44diminutive, quiet,
0:22:44 > 0:22:46suddenly there was something else going on. Yes.
0:23:01 > 0:23:05After the play, Brenda feared she would be arrested by the military dictatorship
0:23:05 > 0:23:07if she ever returned to Greece.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13Brenda was forced back to where it all started back to Bangor.
0:23:13 > 0:23:17Her art had been rejected and she was now penniless.
0:23:17 > 0:23:24Brenda's life began to fall apart and she had a breakdown.
0:23:24 > 0:23:29In 1967, she was admitted to hospital suffering from depression.
0:23:29 > 0:23:34It was a stigma Brenda's family had trouble coming to grips with.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37But I've been told there's one part of her life
0:23:37 > 0:23:41that's always been kept in the dark and that is how she died.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46Well I've heard all the rumours and the whispers
0:23:46 > 0:23:52but I need to know exactly what happened to this wonderfully creative artist.
0:23:52 > 0:23:57Brenda lived in a series of flats and Victorian terraced houses
0:23:57 > 0:24:00in this long, long street
0:24:00 > 0:24:03and I've come to meet up with a very close friend of hers
0:24:03 > 0:24:06who lives right here in the middle of it.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09Hopefully she can tell us all about Brenda
0:24:09 > 0:24:13and the last days of her life.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20- Ann?- Rolf?
0:24:20 > 0:24:22It is. How lovely.
0:24:22 > 0:24:23Welcome to Menai View Terrace.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25Thank you very much. Can you see the Menai?
0:24:25 > 0:24:29The lady I've come to see is Ann Cooke.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33It's lovely to see some real paintings on walls.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36- Oh, yeah, quite a lot around. - Wow, what a room!
0:24:36 > 0:24:39Yes, it's my husband's was my husband's study.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42Yes, come in. Here's a Brenda as we go past.
0:24:42 > 0:24:47I'm surprised so little is known about Brenda's remarkable work
0:24:47 > 0:24:51and I've been told that it may be because of the way she died.
0:24:51 > 0:24:53Come and sit down.
0:24:53 > 0:24:55Brenda always turned to Ann when she was low
0:24:55 > 0:24:58and I know it's going to be tough for her to talk about this,
0:24:58 > 0:25:02but I'm hoping Ann will tell me exactly what happened
0:25:02 > 0:25:05on that tragic summer's day over 40 years ago.
0:25:05 > 0:25:07What I would like to hear from you
0:25:07 > 0:25:12is what you said while the cameras weren't rolling earlier on,
0:25:12 > 0:25:17about that you will never forget the fact that she turned up on your doorstep
0:25:17 > 0:25:20and said, "I've taken an overdose."
0:25:22 > 0:25:23July the 8th, 1971.
0:25:23 > 0:25:27I remember the time. I was up here in the study...
0:25:30 > 0:25:31..the doorbell rang,
0:25:31 > 0:25:34and there she was on the doorstep.
0:25:34 > 0:25:39She said, "Ann, I've come to be with you."
0:25:39 > 0:25:40Ah!
0:25:40 > 0:25:42And I thought, "Heavens."
0:25:42 > 0:25:46So I put her in the car and we got her down to the hospital.
0:25:46 > 0:25:48But she didn't recover.
0:25:51 > 0:25:55And I had to go and tell her mother what had happened, which was...
0:25:55 > 0:25:57How did she react?
0:26:00 > 0:26:04She was stunned. She was totally stunned.
0:26:04 > 0:26:09Her brother was just stupefied.
0:26:09 > 0:26:14He just couldn't understand that she'd been at the point of despair,
0:26:14 > 0:26:21and I think he felt that suicide was just a bit of a social slur really.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23Sure.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26I feel that Brenda's family probably had real problems
0:26:26 > 0:26:28dealing with the social stigma
0:26:28 > 0:26:32of her mental health and the fact that she took her own life.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35But I'm sad that the truth of Brenda's life
0:26:35 > 0:26:37has been hidden for all this time.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42How would you like your friend Brenda Chamberlain remembered?
0:26:42 > 0:26:48She was quite a delightful person, really. She was...
0:26:50 > 0:26:53She was...just lovely.
0:26:53 > 0:26:58She was rather a fragile, little person but I was very fond of her
0:26:58 > 0:27:02and I think that most of the people I know who were her friends
0:27:02 > 0:27:04would say the same thing.
0:27:05 > 0:27:09The most special place for Brenda was Bardsey Island.
0:27:09 > 0:27:13It was there that this iconic Welsh artist was at her happiest
0:27:13 > 0:27:16and where she painted her finest works.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19Going on this journey,
0:27:19 > 0:27:22I've realised what a wonderful artist Brenda really was.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25How she craved a magical location,
0:27:25 > 0:27:26inspiring words
0:27:26 > 0:27:31and fascinating people to arouse her creative passions.
0:27:31 > 0:27:36Get some nice clean white and some nice clean blue together.
0:27:36 > 0:27:37Whee, isn't it good?
0:27:39 > 0:27:42- You're not fed up yet, are you? - No, I'm quite happy.
0:27:42 > 0:27:43Won't be long now, eh?
0:27:43 > 0:27:45"Nice," they cried, "nice."
0:27:46 > 0:27:49Wow, it's looking good.
0:27:56 > 0:28:01You know, Brenda Chamberlain expressed herself so brilliantly
0:28:01 > 0:28:03through her paintings,
0:28:03 > 0:28:08and I'm just really saddened by the fact that her personal tragedies
0:28:08 > 0:28:10overshadowed her art.
0:28:11 > 0:28:15And I just hope that my little tribute
0:28:15 > 0:28:18has done something to redress that balance.
0:28:19 > 0:28:21Hope so. Let me sign it.
0:28:24 > 0:28:28Oh, you're back. Perfect timing. Come and see the finished article.
0:28:28 > 0:28:29Finished? Oh!
0:28:29 > 0:28:32Ernest, come and join us. See what you think.
0:28:32 > 0:28:35It's a lot different with the lighthouse, isn't it? And the words.
0:28:35 > 0:28:36And the words.
0:28:36 > 0:28:38Yes. I think it's almost epic.
0:28:38 > 0:28:41And he's at one with his environment as well, isn't he?
0:28:41 > 0:28:44- He's there, part of it. - I hope so, I think so. Yeah.
0:28:44 > 0:28:47And that's what I've always felt about Ernest, really.
0:28:47 > 0:28:48Good.
0:28:59 > 0:29:03Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd