Anna Coatalen: Art for Happiness et Bonheur

Anna Coatalen (nee Hook) was born in Clifton, Bristol, studied at the Byam Shaw School of Art London, and then worked as a book illustrator before WW2. It was as a WRNS in Plymouth, that she met her Anglo/French husband Herve, an RNVR engineer officer, which resulted in her spending her life in France. Anna painted prolifically throughout her life, continuing right up to her death aged 95, 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 eldest daughter Annik, with help from her family, has gathered together a selection of her most compelling works, ranging from early woodcuts and paintings to the three stained-glass windows in the Ile Tudy church, Brittany. Anna’s gift enabled her to encapsulate the spirit of her life and surroundings, and they are presented here as a tribute to permit a wider audience to appreciate her skill.

‘The world seen through Anna’s eyes, is a happy place to be and her paintings are a fitting testament to the kind and talented person that she was in life.’ - Lachlan Goudie