Beryl Cook, an artist well known across the UK for her colourful and comic paintings of larger-than-life ladies, has died at the age of 81.

She died peacefully at her home in Plymouth on Wednesday (the 28th of May) with her husband and family at her side.

Beryl Cook who had no formal art training, did not take up painting until her 40s, but her work went on to become hugely popular. An exhibition celebrating Cook's 80th birthday was held at the Portal Gallery in London in October 2006.

Beryl Cook who was born in Surrey in 1926, lived in Plymouth for over 25 years, gaining inspiration for the characters featured in her work from people in the city.

Cook and her husband, John, ran a theatrical boarding house in Plymouth when they first moved there in the '60s. People staying at the guest house started talking about her paintings that were on display and a friend in the antique business persuaded her to let him try and sell some.

These sold quickly and Cook went on to hold her first exhibition in 1975.

'I DON'T KNOW HOW MY PICTURES HAPPEN, THEY JUST DO. THEY EXIST, BUT FOR THE LIFE OF ME I CAN'T EXPLAIN THEM.' BERYL COOK OBE

Despite being largely snubbed by the art establishment, Cook's work became well-loved by the general public following a South Bank Show about her in 1979.

Her colourful paintings have been a feature of Plymouth's Barbican for many years, with original paintings and prints being sold from Barbican Gallery Too on Southside Street.

In January 2004 her characters starred in a two-part animated TV series, called Bosom Pals, made by Tiger Aspect for the BBC.