Inspiration fro Artists Wk 56 Featuring Artists , Beryl Cooke and David Cox

Beryl Cook - British Artist - 1926-2008 Most people know of Beryl Cook, even those with no interest in the art world.  The story of how she rose from a hobby artist to fame and fortune is astonishing.  It's almost like dreamtime, a fantasy that we'd all like to come our way.  Many of you will know it, but I'm going to tell it anyway...as briefly as I can. Beryl's art story begins in what was then Rhodesia, in South Africa.  Her husband John was working there and had taken his wife and son with him.  Noticing how interested his wife had been when watching their son painting, John bought Beryl a set of children's oil paints.  Beryl produced her very first painting.  Here it is...'The Hangover'... She knew it was childish, but she was hooked.  She had to paint.  This simple painting already has what was to become her trademark quality.  Cheeky humour.  She'd paint on whatever she could find...off-cuts of wooden board, old doors, the lid of a toilet seat and breadboards.  In 1963 the family moved back to the UK.  First to Looe in Cornwall, then soon after to Plymouth in Devon where they ran a Theatrical Boarding house.  The season lasted about four months when Beryl was very busy, but that left her plenty of time to paint during the rest of the year.  Pretty soon all the walls were festooned with her paintings, others were stacked on the floor against the skirting boards. Her subject matter was her family and Plymouth's varied citizens.  She enjoyed an active social life, visiting bars and theatres, delighting in this Naval town's vibrant nightlife.  Wherever she went she'd have cards in her handbag to secretly jot down visual notes, but all her paintings were done back home in a spare bedroom.  A friend, who owned an antique shop offered to sell some of her paintings in his shop.  Oh no, said Beryl, I only do it for fun, I'm not a proper artist, nobody wants my pictures.  She had to be persuaded, reluctantly she allowed him to take a few.  They sold.   For about £70.  Not bad for an unknown amateur artist in the early 1970s. Then came her big break, the break she hadn't sought or particularly wanted.  An actor staying at her boarding house mentioned her art to people working at the Plymouth Arts centre, saying somebody really should look at it.  Bernard Samuels, who ran the Arts Centre, went to see the landlady with a house full of amazing paintings.  He saw her potential and offered her a solo show at the City Art Gallery.  Beryl was reluctant, she didn't want any fuss about her hobby.  Bernard Samuels said it took him weeks to persuade her to do it. All right, said Beryl, it might be nice but she didn't want any publicity or have to make an appearance.  Finally, sixty of her paintings went of show at the Art Gallery. Two things happened.  The first was that the numbers visiting the Art Gallery dramatically increased.  It was clear that Beryl's work was going to be popular.  Most of her work sold.   The second thing that happened was that there WAS publicity.  The Sunday Times magazine heard about this seaside landlady who painted.  So in 1976 they produced their colour supplement with Beryl's work on the cover, and an illustrated article within.  Here's an image of that magazine...not a great photo... Here's one of the paintings featured inside.   'Sabotage.'  Painted on a breadboard...hence the odd shape. The Portal Gallery in London saw the article and speedily went to see Beryl.  This gallery is a upmarket Gallery specialising in 'idiosyncratic' art, it caters for the rich and famous, so Beryl had hit the big-time.  (I've mentioned this Gallery before, unsurprising as I also like idiosyncratic art.)  So Beryl was MADE as an artist, apart from her paintings, her work appeared on all kinds of merchandise.  But she continued to paint as she's always painted, recording with a whiff of humour the everyday life she saw around her. Beryl's technique is fun.  Plump people, big noses, hands the size of shovels, no fingernails, often smoking cigarettes the size of baguettes.  People enjoying themselves or just odd happenings, she was a great observer of life.  Oddly, while she painted shading on her figures, it's rare for any of them to cast a shadow on the ground. A few paintings...first 'My fur coat'...Beryl originally painted this to show off her new coat, and had it open to show the pattern.  It soon became known as the 'Flasher.' One year Beryl asked her husband what he wanted for Xmas.  How about a painting of a nude, he said.  She gave him this 'Anyone for a whipping?' Beryl took pains over her compositions, look at the sinewy line of these people... A couple of self portraits.  Beryl always painted herself plump...so wasn't. Panto dame... Beryl was asked why she painted every single leaf in her paintings.  She said because she hadn't found a better way yet...below 'Rhubarb'. At the art group.. Beryl didn't think she was a cartoonist or naïve painter, she said she just made pictures.  The critics didn't approve of course, she was popular with the masses, an unforgivable sin in the art world. She said art covered most things like suffering, torment etc, etc, so it ought to cover humour too.  I see her as a gifted observer of life, I have a couple of her books and I can't look through them without feeling better about life. Beryl Cook, an unpretentious gem.

Thanks for the background info Lew. I didn’t know any of that though obviously familiar with her wonderful work. I love humour in art and these all made me chuckle.  Her paintings are of normal people mainly having fun and enjoying life which is pretty darn good to me. An exceptional artist with a very different line of work. 

Lovely examples of her work Lew, a few of which were new to me. She paints with such precision and the paintings are always full of interest. Thanks for posting these. 

Dining Out Two on a stool Bin men

Here's a few more. Girl's night out... How many times have we all seen this?  It's a painting for Beryl.  'A good little runner.' More of Beryl's meticulous foliage painting... The Christening.... 'Tea in the garden', like you do... And a pic of Beryl herself in her upstairs studio...

Great, intro. Lewis, had seen her work but wasn’t aware of her background as an artist. Love her colourful, fun-filled paintings, so well observed and beautifully painted.

I remember her work from many a cheeky greeting card.  I think it’s great that she was ‘popular with the masses’. Her work is instantly recognisable, and fun (we could all do with more of that)

Sooooooooooo Thankyou Lew........I still feel like cr🐾🐾p  but you have given me the biggest smile for many a day....literally.   I have always loved her work and your intro is just brilliant..  I'm looking and enjoying all over again.  Many I have never seen before....such a clever and talented woman.  ....nearly as good as you....man. 

There was more real life in Beryl Cooke's paintings than you'll find in many more classical artists' work: I had a book featuring her work, which I don't think I've got now (because I sold a good few in order to finance a move: it's not that I didn't value Beryl's but that I knew it would sell!).  Of all her paintings, it's the one in the art studio, with the ladies comparing their work - the expressions on their faces say everything: the kindly mockery; the indulgent smirk; the offended stare.... perfect.  

Couldn't get online earlier.  Apparently Virgin Media out more or less all over the country.  Hope it's sorted now. I like that pic too Robert.  Beryl gets the expressions just right. One of her main subjects is her family.  Here she is with her daughter, granddaughter, cat and tortoises... Here's one of her daughter Elvira's cafe.  Note Elvira's flirty expression.  Dead right... Road sweepers...note the size of  the cigarette butts.  All wrong, but totally right in Beryl's paintings... Mother and child... Here's how I see Sylvia midnight snacking... Tango... I'm quite sure that had Beryl not had fame thrust upon her, she'd still have painted all the same pictures just for the love of doing it.