Anna Coatalen

Anna Coatalen (nee Hook) was born in Bristol, studied at the Byam Shaw School of Art in London, and then worked as a book illustrator before WWII. It was as a WRNS in Plymouth that she met her Anglo-French husband Herve, an RNVR engineer officer, which resulted in her spending many years in France. Anna painted prolifically throughout her life, continuing right up to her death aged ninety-five, but never sought to publicise her work. Amongst friends who appreciated and admired her were the artists Mary Fedden and Alexander Goudie, whose son, Lachlan, has written a very perceptive introduction to this book. Her daughter Annik has gathered together a selection of the most compelling of Anna's huge output, ranging from early woodcuts and paintings to the three stained glass windows in Ile Tudy church in SW Brittany. They are presented here as a tribute to her life and to permit a wider audience to appreciate her skill --