Beryl COOK

Born in Surrey in 1926, Beryl Cook first started to paint after using her young son's paint set. When her family moved to Plymouth, Beryl and husband John (a seaman in the Merchant Navy) ran a busy theatrical boarding house.

Beryl Cook painted for some 40 years. Well known and much loved in her home county of Devon, she was largely snubbed by the the nation's major art galleries. Art critics also look down their noses at Beryl Cook's paintings of the colourful characters she has encountered in Plymouth, where she lived.

It was in Plymouth where her talents were discovered, when guests started to talk about the unique paintings on display. Beryl Cook secretly sketched her subjects and a friend persuaded Beryl to try and sell some of the paintings - and, much to her surprise, they sold like hot cakes!

Since her sad death, Beryl Cook's limited edition prints have become increasingly sought after with Cook original paintings now fetching tens of thousand's of pounds.