|
Robert Thomas Nixon
[1939 - 2002]
|
|
Robert Thomas Nixon (Bob Nixon) was born in
South
Bank, Middlesbrough,
in North Yorkshire on July 7th, 1939. He was the fifth of six
children born to Arthur Nixon and Phylis Thompson. Robert's mother
Phylis worked as a housewife while his father worked locally as a
steelworker. As a child, Robert spent much of his time drawing and
sketching, and his artistic skills were recognised when he was seven
years old by teachers at Cromwell Road School which he attended in
South Bank. During his early years
as an artist, and supported by teachers at the Central Secondary Modern
School (Victoria Street, Southbank), Robert won several art competitions and a scholarship to Middlesbrough art college
in 1955 when he was sixteen.
|
|
|
Although his time at art college was cut short by
the death of his father, Bob gained employment locally as a lithographic
artist and left in 1965 to pursue his career as a full-time cartoonist,
initially for DC Thomson's of Dundee. During this
transition Robert met and married Rita Kelly and after living in
Middlesbrough for several years they moved to Guisborough in Cleveland
where they raised their four children - Paul, Tony, Wendy and
Catherine.
In 1972 Bob left Thomson's, selling his work to
Fleetway publishers - the comic division of the International Publishing
Corporation (IPC) - for the next 13 years before returning to Thomson's
in 1985 - where he was employed until his death in 2002. Whilst self-employed, Bob worked for several
publishers designing greetings cards, joke book covers and
illustrations, and company logos etc.
|
|
Working from his home in
Guisborough, Bob enjoyed his life as a cartoonist for over
35 years, and is best known for his work in Dandy, Beano, Whoopee, Monster Fun,
and Shiver
& Shake comics, 'ghosting' many popular comic
characters such as 'Lord Snooty' , 'Roger the Dodger', 'Korky the
Cat', 'Frankie Stein', and bringing to life his own creations,
including 'Kid Kong', 'Gums', 'King Arthur and his Frights of the Round
Table' and 'Ivy the Terrible'. Read more here
about Robert's cartoon history.
|
|
In addition to his skills as a cartoonist, Bob
also enjoyed drawing and painting for his own pleasure. Using pastels, oils,
watercolours, inks, pencils, and scraper-boards, Bob developed unique
styles in surreal and fantasy art, art for children, landscapes
and other scenes of nature.
This is an opportunity to see and purchase a
selection of Bob's artwork that for many years, only family members
and close friends have been fortunate enough to enjoy. We hope you enjoy
them as much as we do.
|
|
|
