Beryl Cook

Beryl was born in1926 in Egham, Surrey, England, one of four sisters. She showed no early promise, nor did she have the benefit of any formal art training. In fact the only training for her now famous pictures are the experiences of her life, in which she has been a showgirl, a short hand typist, managed a pub, worked in a wholesale fruiterers and kept a boarding house.

She married, at the age of twenty, her childhood sweetheart John, who shared her life since, and they have truly enjoyed their life together taking enormous pleasure from the everyday 'goings-on' around them. They are now grandparents and in addition have a family of one dog and several cats, all living together in Plymouth, England.

The Cooks are well known in the local pubs which have always been the most useful sources of Beryl's inspiration. Nothing and no one is safe from her devastatingly accurate observation which is never cruel, but has a way of bringing everything down to earth. Above all she paints with humour.

It is probably true that her subject matter and the colourful way Beryl Cook paints combine to prevent many people from seeing just how good her paintings are. They are very good indeed and will long outlive most of our present day painting because they are painted for the sheer love of painting and are enjoyed in the same manner by those who see them. Whether an original or a reproduction, it is a privilege to own a picture by Beryl Cook for she enriches life.

She has been likened to many famous artists from the Brueghel to Spencer, and she is just as timeless.