Patricia Butt

1934 - 1990

Patricia Butt comes from an artistic background; her mother painted in oils and her father William Butt was a highly regarded specialist in the field of commercial art.

Patricia trained at Camberwell School of Art under the tutorship of Laurence Gowing and John Minton. Following this, she went into the theatre business and took up the profession of an actress, although never completely discarding her painting.

In the 60’s the compulsion to paint full time caused her to leave the theatre.

Her acutely detailed watercolours reflect the scenes and events of everyday life that are both poignant and enchanting. Whether they be farm animals, market barrows, pensioners or young people, Patricia enhances the subject with a richness of light and colour that truly captures the essence of a typical moment.

The drama is in her richly glowing scenes of bustling, market life with their profusion of flowers and fruit; the stark light from naked bulbs reflecting on wet pavements; the textures one can almost feel of brick, wood and plasterwork. In her people – a moment pinpointed as if time is frozen for a split second, allowing the viewer to step into the picture before it moves on. Her characters are always real and expertly observed, perhaps a talent retained from her theatrical days; the talent of watching people, the way they move or stand, a pose struck. Patricia lived in a cottage in Lincolnshire surrounded by countryside and the animals she loved – a direct contrast to her paintings. She exhibited in various galleries in London and the South East as well as the Royal Academy, the Mall Galleries and in the USA.  

Beryl Cook OBE

(1926 – 2008)

Beryl Cook was born in Surrey in 1926, moving to London in 1943, she worked in a number of jobs from showgirl to the fashion industry, hence her interest in the way people dress. She married in 1946 to John and they left London for Southern Rhodesia a year later. In 1962 they moved to Zambia, returning to England to settle in Plymouth where she died in 2008. Her first exhibition was a great success and since that time there have been many books and articles about her work which now has a world-wide following.

Silk-screen prints are produced by making a different silk screen for each and every colour used. With Beryl’s work that tends to be between 40 and 60 different screens. The paint goes onto the paper colour by colour to build up the print. Once completed, the print is numbered and signed by the artists as a mark of approval of quality.

Each edition is strictly limited in number 

Bathroom                                           27 x 14 ins                  Edition of 300

Staircase                                            19 x 19 ins                  Edition of 395

Gare du Nord                                    28 x 17 ins                  Edition of 300

Girls in Satin Dresses                       24 x 19 ins                  Edition of 200

Chartiers                                            32 x 32 ins                  Edition of 300

"Staircase" on this page is framed - others are NOT framed are available and illustrated on the next page