Short Biography

Born London, September 7, 1935, Peter Clare moved to Sheffield in 1940 where he lived till 1957. He was educated at Nether Edge Grammar School and for a short time Sheffield University. He did his National Service as a conscientious objector in Hospitals in Sheffield and London 1955 to 1957. He studied life drawing at St Martin's College of Art, London. In 1960 he went to Southampton University to obtain a BSc degree in Mathematics in 1963. After this he taught mathematics in secondary schools and colleges in Portsmouth, Birmingham, Buxton, Hampshire and ending up in Shropshire in 1983. During this time he built up a national and international reputation as a religious artist exhibiting widely.

Raised a Quaker he converted to Catholicism in 1958. He married Carol Sabatini in 1963 and they have three sons.

Major One-man Shows:

1969   The Compendium Galleries, Birmingham.

 1971   'The Earth Mother' at The Compendium Galleries, Birmingham.

 1975   'The Cana Cycle' at the Portland Gallery, Manchester and the Blaydon Gallery, Cork Street, London.

 1976   'A Celebration of Life', at the Portland Gallery, Manchester, The Slater Gallery, Glossop and the Galerie Saluden, Quimper,
Brittany.

 1977   In the Northern Institute, Upholland, Lancashire and 'A Celebration of Life' at the Drian Galleries, West End, London.

Started work on the major cycle of paintings, 'The Journey'.

1978   'The Cana Cycle' at the Jeanne Taylor Gallery, Manhattan, New York, USA and 'A Celebration  of Life ' at the Hiscock Gallery, Portsmouth. 

1980-87   A period of financial upheaval and instability that interfered seriously with artistic work.

1981   'The Little Flowers of St. Francis' at the Holsworthy Gallery, West End, London and a retrospective at the Hiscock Gallery, Portsmouth. 

1982   'The Little Flowers of St. Francis' at the Little Gallery, Arundel, West Sussex.

1985   'The Little Flowers of St. Francis' at Staff House, Birmingham University, Birmingham.

1985/93  There have been a number of small shows of paintings, icons and woodcuts in and around Cleobury Mortimer, while the
artist worked on 'The Journey'. 

1993   'The Journey' in St George's Church, Bloomsbury, London and in the R C Metropolitan   Cathedral, Liverpool.

1994   'The Journey' continues its tour to Birmingham Cathedral, Holy Trinity Church, Sutton Coldfield, Tavistock Parish Church, Devon and Shrewsbury Abbey, Shropshire.

Publication by Redlake Press of a limited edition book of woodcuts of 'The Stations of the Cross'.

1995   'The Journey' in Norwich Cathedral and The Collegiate Church of St Peter, Wolverhampton. 

'Friends of The Journey' set up to promote and organise the work of 'The Journey' and, in time, the art of other religious artists.

1996   ‘The Journey’ in Ely and Winchester Cathedrals.

1997   ‘The Journey’ in St. James’s Church, Piccadilly, London.

Spring 1998 - Moved to Bucknell. Publication of ‘The Journey’ full colour catalogue thanks to an Arts Council Grant. 

1998   ‘The Journey’ in St. Michael’s, Stoke Prior, Worcestershire.

1999   ‘The Journey’ in Lichfield Cathedral.

1999/2000 ‘The Journey’ in St. Mary’s in the Lace Quarter, Nottingham. 

2001   ‘Saint Matthew Cycle’ chapters 1 to 4, in St. Mary’s Church, Shrewsbury.

2002/3  ‘Saint Matthew Cycle’ various subsequences in churches in the Welsh Marhes and Warrington

Group Shows, etc., include: Queenswood Gallery, London (1960); Society of Catholic Artists (1960), Southampton Art Gallery (1961); Pershore Abbey (1961); University of Southampton (1962); The Hayling Art Gallery, (1967 & 8); Jeanne Taylor Gallery, New York, (1977/8); Drian Gallery, (1977-9); Little Gallery, Arundel (1982- 93); Silk Top Hat Gallery, Ludlow (1986 - 1998); Christian Arts (1992); Driffold Gallery, Sutton Coldfield, (1994 - present); Christian Art Gallery, Graignemanagh, Eire, (1996-present); Fine Edge Exhibition, Leominster, (1998); A & C Gallery, London, (1999-present); Six Chapel Row Gallery, Bath, (1999/2000)

Commissions, etc.: These include votive works for St John's College, Southsea; The Catholic Women's League;  The Presentation Sisters; Our Lady of Lourdes, Portsmouth; St Theresa's, Anfield Plain; St Elizabeth's, Cleobury Mortimer; Portsmouth South Labour Party and numerous private commissions including portraits. Works are in a number of collections world-wide including those of Granada Television; Rt. Rev’d. Lord and Lady Sheppard of Liverpool (Lady Sheppard is Patron to the Friends of The Journey); Cardew Robinson; Stephanie Cole; Halima Naleczj and many others in the UK. Abroad works are to found in private collections in Manhatten, New York; Washington, Virginia; Denver, Colorado; Columbus, Ohio and elsewhere in the USA; Dijon, Cote d’Or; Quimper, Brittany and elsewhere in France; Ireland; Germany, Sweden, Japan and New Zealand.

References: Tate Gallery Artist list, Arts Review Artist list, International Art & Antiques Who’s Who and elsewhere.

Reviews: have appeared in The Arts Review, The Guardian, Birmingham Post, Church Times, Catholic Herald, The Tablet, Celebration and elsewhere.