'Painting is where art and science collide': Retired Limerick obstetrician swaps maternity ward for art studio

RETIRED obstetrician Dr Gerry Burke, who spent much of his career at University Maternity Hospital Limerick, has embarked on a new chapter, this time with a paintbrush in his hand.

After nearly three decades working in medicine, Dr Burke has graduated with a BA in Fine Art (Painting) from Limerick School of Art and Design (LSAD), returning to a passion he first developed as a teenager.

Now aged 70, Gerry sat down with Limerick Live to discuss his return to painting and his decision to go back to college.

While his two careers may appear very different, Gerry sees a clear connection between medicine and art.

He told Limerick Live: “Painting is where art and science collide.”

Originally from Dublin, Gerry's parents were both from the Connemara Gaeltacht.

He moved to Limerick with his wife Mary in December 1992 and spent 25 years working as an obstetrician in the maternity hospital.

His final delivery took place on December 1, 2017, before he went on to hold a senior role within UL Hospitals Group, including during the Covid-19 pandemic.

He retired from medicine in 2020.

Throughout his career, art remained a passion for Gerry.

He began as a young teenager and received lessons from well-known Dublin painter George Collie.

But the education system steered him towards science rather than art.

“The way schooling was set up, we were screened by academic ability, so I wasn't doing art. I was pointed towards science.” he explained.

The demands of working in obstetrics meant Gerry had to be careful about the hobbies he took up, as he always needed to be close to the hospital and ready to respond to emergencies.

“When you're an obstetrician, you're on call and the calls are urgent, you have to go in quickly. So you want to live near the hospital and whatever hobbies you have, they're better in the house.

“You can't be out sailing when you get called in.” he said.

Although he continued painting now and again throughout his career, retirement finally gave him the opportunity to dedicate more time to it.

After spending about a year getting used to working with paint again, Gerry decided to pursue formal training, first studying at the Royal Hibernian Academy in Dublin before moving to LSAD in 2024, where he completed his degree this year.

He said he was warmly welcomed into the art community in both cities.

Going back to college meant finding himself in classrooms alongside students young enough to be his grandchildren.

“There was one woman my own age in the class, a couple around 50, but the majority were 22. In my first year there, they were having their 21sts!” he said.

However, the age difference was never an issue.

“It's a great gel because we're all doing the same thing.

“We're covered in paint and facing exactly the same difficulties, trying to draw accurately, trying to mix the paint well, trying to make a good canvas.”

There was even an unexpected connection between his two careers, with Gerry revealing: “I delivered some of my pupil colleagues in LSAD!”

His own work is mainly figurative, focusing on painting people rather than abstract art.

He is particularly drawn to the High Renaissance, with Raphael among his favourite artists, as well as the work of the Old Masters.

His interest in painting goes back to his teenage years, when he bought a poster of Pablo Picasso's The Old Guitarist at the age of 15.

He remembers studying the painting every day, fascinated by the brushstrokes.

“I realised when he painted it in 1904 he was 22. I was 15 at that stage and realised I had seven years to get from where I was to that.” he joked.

While Gerry’s days of delivering babies are behind him, he has certainly not slowed down.

These days, he aims to paint every day and is preparing for a group exhibition featuring eight artists at Sales Studio on Thursday, November 26.

At 70, with a new degree under his belt and plenty more painting ahead of him, Gerry is enjoying the chance to see where this creative chapter takes him next.