Despite never really promoting herself as an artist or actively trying to sell paintings, Beryl still managed to become a very popular artist. This was mainly thanks to prints and postcards of her work that were both affordable and accessible to the people that bought them. It wasn’t until her later life that she became an internationally recognised artist that is loved across the globe.
Beryl Cook is considered to be one of the UK’s most loved artists, producing work that didn’t alienate anyone. She simply painted everyday images of people that she would see around her. Her artwork ranges from women getting on the bus for a night out to the dustbin men coming to pick up the rubbish in the morning. She was an everyday person; this could be seen in her art and is why she is loved so much by people in the UK.
Beryl’s first love was a man called John Cook who lived across the road from her house in Surrey and they started seeing each other when they were 15 years old. John was signed up in order to serve his country during the war as a member of the Merchant Navy. They kept in touch while he was away and then in 1948 they got married but it was not until Beryl’s son John was born that she discovered her talent. In 1950 their son John was born and soon after the new family moved to what is now Zimbabwe. Over the 9 years that they lived in Zimbabwe, Beryl would use her young child’s paint set to paint the odd picture to pass the time.
When they returned to England John took a job in the motor trade in Bodmin, Devon and they befriended a local antiques dealer. The antiques dealer noticed Beryl’s artwork and asked if she’d be interested in selling some in her shop. All 3 paintings sold quickly and this inspired Beryl to start painting more often and sell her paintings through her friends shop.
Beryl Cook passed away before the summer of 2008. Her husband was shocked by the amount of coverage this event received in the media and the national and global out pour of support and sadness for their family. National newspapers from all over the world reported her death and her husband John has kept a scrap book containing the obituaries. Beryl Cook Prints have since seen an increase in sales and the recent retrospective of her work being held at Plymouth University has received joyful praise as the best way to say goodbye to a much loved artist.
