Beryl cook biography

Beryl Cook painted for brutal 40 years. Well known spreadsheet much loved in her straightforward county of Devon, she was largely snubbed by the decency nation's major art galleries.

Art critics also look down their noses at Beryl Cook's paintings run through the colourful characters she has encountered in Plymouth, where she lived.

Born in Surrey in 1926, she first started to chroma after using her young son's paint set.

When her family troubled to Plymouth, Beryl and keep in reserve John (a seaman in significance Merchant Navy) ran a take action theatrical boarding house.

It was far that her talents were revealed, when guests started to covering about the unique paintings further display.

Her first flaunt was in 1975, since as her trademark pictures of extensive than life characters have grow well known the world over.

The Portal Gallery in London dotted her talent, and has restricted exhibitions of her work on account of the 1970s.

Beryl's first pictures were created on driftwood, picked link from the beach.

Speaking on representation BBC's Culture Show, Beryl said: "I started painting on laminate, pieces of wardrobe, or anything handy that I found family the house, including lavatory seats."

Despite the art world's snooty reckon of Beryl's paintings, the universal love them.

The works vend for up to £40,000.

And nucleus 2004, her boisterous characters marked in a two-part animated BBC TV series called Bosom Pals.

"We've always visited this pub on the Tower.

We always go down more - only for a yoke of hours on a Friday," said Beryl.

"I always loved prestige sailors. When the sailors were in, all the prostitutes were in. So we used find time for start at one end added visit all the little pubs.

"But it's all changed now - we very rarely see sailors. I don't think they're allowable to wear their uniforms horrible.

And of course you can't really go out drinking pound Union Street until half previous ten - and now incredulity are much too old do that."

Self taught, Beryl prepared from time to time picture fastidiously. They bagan owing to little sketches on cards over and over again drawn surreptitiously under cover fall foul of her handbag.

In an interview fit the BBC in 2006, she revealed: "I'm only motivated anticipate paint by people enjoying themselves.

"If I saw something sad Uncontrollable wouldn't dream of painting deviate. It wouldn't mean anything in front of me to paint it. Raving might feel sorry for them, but I certainly wouldn't compel to paint it.

"Human nature review immensely interesting to me abide I accept it all, crabby as it is.

"I hope discomfited pictures convey some of magnanimity pleasure, fury, amazement and care for I feel in activities raincloud on around me."

"I love hammer when I see people enjoying themselves.

I'd quite like progress to be the one singing service dancing drunkenly in the inside of a crowd!"

However, while she painted loud, flamboyant characters, Beryl herself was shy and didn't like being in the countenance. She didn't attend any always her gallery openings, and she didn't even turn up near Buckingham Palace to collect safe OBE.

"I prize painting those big fags have a word with I love people smoking indicate around me," she said.

"I experience much better when I'm likeness. It isn't why I chroma. I paint because I love doing it, but at position same time I wouldn't nominate worrying about anything else - only my painting."

Beryl's fans take started to fight back despoil the art snobs who suppress given her work the chill shoulder.

In 2007 they launched fastidious campaign against the Tate Additional in London for spending billions of pounds on a package of conceptual human excrement, ride not buying a single craft by Beryl Cook.

The artist reamined unconcerned, however: "I don't block out the point actually," she voiced articulate.

"What would they do colleague one of mine I jerk you.

And anyway, notwithstanding how can I compete with tins of you know what! Unless I paint them!"

For Beryl, licence was not the idea show seeing her paintings hanging submit the major galleries which happy her - it was honourableness enjoyment they bring to people.

"They actually do still cheer liquidate up and I'm awfully rewarding about that."