Beryl Cook

The late much loved Beryl Cook’s love of painting developed during her early married life, following the enjoyment she received from a child’s painting set her husband John bought her as a birthday present.

John’s work took the family overseas in 1957. Having spent 7 years in southern Rhodesia, the family returned home in 1964 and eventually settled in Plymouth where Beryl established a business running a guest house.

The walls of her guest house were eventually covered by the large number of paintings she produced. In 1975 a friend persuaded her to let him try and sell some of her work.

An exhibition of 75 paintings soon followed at the Plymouth Arts Centre which sold out completely. Further exhibitions in London at both the Portal and Whitechapel Galleries proved just as popular and her work was soon being used for the creation of internationally acclaimed greetings cards, calendars and limited edition prints.