Saturday, September 01, 2007

Beryl Cook - putting the fun into art

I've blogged about a lot of artists in the past year, most of whom were male. Georgia O'Keefe is possibly the only exception. In an attempt to redress the balance here's a look at Beryl Cook, an English artist whose work is great fun - not seriously "arty" or pretentious - just fun.

Beryl Cook was born 10 September 1926 in Surrey, England. The town is uncertain, I've used Woking, it will make little difference, Surrey isn't enormous. 12 noon chart is the best I can do, as no birth time is available. She's a Sun and Mercury in Virgo person, so fits in well this week!



"Beryl Cook found fame as a painter by accident in her late 40s, after buying her young son a box of paints. The flamboyant fun-loving characters featured in her work were largely inspired by the people of Plymouth. Beryl has lived in Plymouth ( on England's south coast) for over 25 years and remains fascinated by life in this lively naval port which is full of pubs, fishermen and sailors.

Having left school at 14, Beryl worked in a variety of jobs (splash-like chart pattern) but at that age showed very little talent for painting. ..........At one time she was a showgirl in a touring production of 'The Gypsy Princess'............ She also worked in the fashion industry, which inspired her life-long interest in the way people dress and how they look. (Her Leo planets)"

"Beryl’s personality though is in great contrast to her paintings. She is a shy and private person, (Virgo Sun and Mercury) often depicting the flamboyant and extrovert characters she would love to be (Venus and Neptune conjunct in Leo). She prefers to observe a crowd of people, her acute eye missing nothing. She records in minute detail scenes of everyday life and has an almost photographic memory (all Virgo!)."

See how those extracts from HERE and HERE describe something of the personality shown in her natal chart.

Update: Sadly Beryl Cook died aged 81 in May 2008.

A video from YouTube : an accompanied tour of a UK exhibition of the late Beryl Cook's painting.


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