Featured British Artists: Beryl Cook, Peter Smith & Doug Hyde
A lot has happened in the 20th Century, moon landings, the birth of rock and roll and the civil rights movement. We as humans have a lot to be proud of. While we may not always make the right decisions, we as a species have been really creative in all areas of our lives whether it is art or technology.
Art has really shone in the 20th Century as it became thrust into the mainstream as more people became interested in art and as many couldn’t afford originals they wanted cheaper prints. In the past art was reserved for royalty and the prosperous, but in the 20th Century art became more readily available and more acceptable for everyday people.
Peter Smith is an artist from Mansfield near Nottingham. The career path of Peter Smith has been a varied path working as a information technology programmer and a graphic designer in the fashion market. Peter Smith prints look like they are inspired by the likes of Dali as some of his art features surreal ideas and imagery. Peter Smith prints often feature animal characters sometimes called impossimals,which look like a mix between a hippo and a zebra. These animal creations have become vastly popular in both print and sculpture forms.
Beryl Cook was an artist hailing from Plymouth, Devon in the United Kingdom who sadly died earlier this year. Beryl was originally from Surrey and spent time travelling as a showgirl before working in the fashion industry and then settling down in Plymouth with her husband John Cook. Beryl’s artwork is well known for featuring depictions of real life and the people of Plymouth. She would make colourful Beryl Cook prints that focused on the things everyday people do, like waiting for a bus or dustbin men collecting the rubbish.
Doug Hyde was born in in the early 70′s and he has made a big name for himself for someone so young as the BBC named him the UK’s Best Selling Artist. He uses a simple but effective technique, his inspiration comes from the emotions he has had in certain situations and this is what has made Doug Hyde prints so popular. As well as prints he is also an accomplished sculptor, producing sculptures that follow the same themes and often feature similar characters featured in his canvas artwork.
