McBURNEY, Robert

 

Robert (Bob) McBurney, born 1939, lived and worked in Bradford in his teens and during his formative years as a photographer. In his recent retirement years he has developed his talent for painting in oils in an abstract style, as well as with creative writing.

In his early teens Bob moved to Bradford with his family.  He was the oldest of five children; his brother, Kenneth (Ken) McBurney, later became a professional artist and musician, based in Haworth.   The family lived at North Park Road, near Lister Park, and Robert frequently visited the nearby Cartwright Hall Museum and Art Gallery.

After passing the Eleven Plus examination, Bob attended Ripon Grammar School, gaining a scholarship to allow him to board there.   After leaving school  he worked initially as a clerk at a Bradford Fire and Life Assurance company. In his early twenties he was conscripted for National Service as an officer cadet into the Royal Army Service Corps and stayed in the army for five years, leaving with the rank of Captain. During the latter stages of his army career Robert became interested in photography. He wrote:

I bought a 35mm camera, a Voigtlander Bessamatic, and in a relatively short space of time fell head over heels in love with photography. I read very book available and I knew without doubt that I wanted to be a professional photographer (Mc.Burney, 2019, p.172)

He resigned from the army and returned to Bradford to pursue his new career direction.  He visited the Sandford Taylor Photographic Studios on Manningham Lane, Bradford, and persuaded, Tony Walker, the owner, to allow him to operate from a room in the studio on a freelance basis.    The studios by this time had built a strong reputation for photographing the Asian families that had settled in the area and beyond:

I stayed with Tony Walker for some time. I learned a great deal from him, much of which I didn’t appreciate until many years later when I was running my own studio. Tony, (I call him that now, though at the time I would certainly have called him Mr Walker) was a wonderful photographic craftsman

After leaving the Sandford Taylor Studios, Bob worked as freelance photo-journalist, including regular work for the Manchester Guardian, subsidised by work as a driver.  He later formed his own company:

Using the pseudonym Bob Stone, I founded and developed a group of creative companies, The ‘Split Image Group’, which consisted of photographic advertising studios, a design company and a stock picture company with Leeds and London Offices.

He specialised initially in industrial work, then advertising and still life photography and in its time was regarded as one of the foremost still life photography groups in the North with national and European clients.

During this period Bob continued with his interest in painting and writing, and at the age of 50 decided to focus on these:

In recent years writing and painting have been my full time occupation … Visual imagery has always been a central feature in my life and now, in late life, my days are committed to painting. Essentially my paintings represent states of mind. In most part they are abstract; sometimes organic, sometimes geometric. In most of them I find that I am involved in an ongoing relationship with colour, form and the textural surface of oil paint.

 

 

His work has been exhibited at the Horsforth ‘Walk of Art’, where Bob now lives, and at solo shows at Seven Arts, Leeds, and at The Courthouse Theatre and Gallery, Otley.

 

 

I am happy to acknowledge the many influences which affect my work, Nikolas de Stael, Keith Vaughan, Richard Diebenkorn and so many more. In addition, music and poetry play a big part of my life. There is so much delight to be found.

 

Artist Contact:  Bob McBurney

Reference & Source:  McBurney, R. (2019) Nearly 79. Laughter & Loss.  2QT Publishing.