I am a medical doctor by profession but always an artist by inclination. My medical career included thirty years of post-graduate teaching, where featuring my own art and that of fellow artists were powerful teaching tools.
Born in Ferryhill in the centre of the Durham coalfield, my formative world and the inspiration for my own early art was dominated not only by the all-enveloping coalmines and their characters but by the wildlife in the local hedgerows and bridlepaths. I have always drawn and painted, throughout my childhood, university days and professional career. I have exhibited widely throughout the North East and my art work is held in many collections.
Whilst figure drawing portraiture and ‘all things mechanical’ are favourite topics for me, book illustration has been a big influence as to the inspiration for my pictures. The author and the text dictate the subject matter for the illustrations – but this opens up many avenues, having to read texts that I may well have overlooked, learn new information and researching new imagery has undoubtedly broadened my artistic horizons. It has also taught me new techniques, particular those of the graphic artist. Mixing the graphic art techniques with those of fine art produces some wonderful and novel effects.
Much of my recent work has focussed on wildlife often juxtaposed with symbolic or stylised backdrps, executed with an opaque gouache background and a translucent subject giving the impression of more light coming out of the painting than goes in.
But the lure of the coalmine with its colliers is still there and demands a totally different style, medium and technique. It is refreshing to juxtapose these loosely executed oils with the relative precision of the wildlife art.
Marshall Hall recognised my work by including my biopic in his 2005 edition of anthology, ‘The Artists of Northumbria’.
Dr Robert McManners OBE DL MA. Med. Ed. MB. BS. MRCGP.