Cook painting fetches record sum

Granny with her Pet Mouse sold for £69,600

A painting by one of Devon's best-loved artists has been sold for a record price at auction less than two months after her death.

The oil painting by Beryl Cook - Granny with her Pet Mouse - sold for £69,600 which was more than twice the estimate at the sale in London.

Another work by Cook titled The Dolphin, the pub from where Cook drew inspiration, sold for £66,000.

Bonhams said the previous record price for Cook's work stood at £28,800.

Cook, known for her colourful and comic paintings of larger-than-life ladies, died at her home in Plymouth in May at the age of 81.

What mattered most to her was the enjoyment that her pictures brought Bonhams spokeswoman Artist inspired by pub's regulars

She had no formal training and did not take up painting until her 40s, but her work went on to become hugely popular.

Born in Surrey in 1926, she had lived in Plymouth for more than 25 years.

The large, fun-loving characters featured in her work were largely inspired by people in the city's pubs especially the Dolphin, the subject of one of the paintings in Wednesday's sale, where she was often found on a Friday, sitting in the corner sipping a lager, observing the clientele.

The Dolphin pub inspired many of Cook's pictures

A spokeswoman for Bonhams said Cook dismissed criticism of her work from various art critics, describing herself as a "maker of pictures" instead of an artist.

"What mattered most to her was the enjoyment that her pictures brought the public and her quirky sense of humour, witty observation and love of life is what she'll best be remembered for," she said.

The University of Plymouth will be showing a major retrospective of Beryl Cook's work in November.