P. J. Crook

Pamela June Crook (born 1945), known professionally as P J Crook, is an English painter and sculptor. Her shows have appeared in London, France, the United States, Japan, Canada, and Estonia. Her professional name "P J Crook" lacks full stops; variant stylings such as "P. J. Crook" have appeared.

Crook was born in 1945 in Cheltenham, England, where she still lives. She is represented by the Panter & Hall gallery on Pall Mall in London and Galerie Alain Blondel in Paris.

Art From a studio opposite her house, she manages compositions on a monumental scale — paintings can measure 2 × 4.5 metres and also paints small pictures, some no larger than 10 cm square. She works in tinted gesso, acrylic and sometimes in oil on canvas. She often paints crowds, either in motion in urban environments or standing still reading newspapers, many of which are on undulating 3D corrugated structures as with 'The Smell of the Horse, the Roar of the Crowd" (coll. Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum), "Other Mothers' Sons" (coll. Imperial War Museum, London) "Paper Hat" and "The Kiss" (coll. Morohashi Museum of Modern Art, Japan). These have led onto her three dimensional sculptures mainly constructed out of found objects.

In 1996, Crook co-starred with musician Toyah Willcox on the HTV short film Rolinda Sharples: Painted out of History. The production led to a friendship between the two, and later on to Wilcox's husband, King Crimson/ProjeKcts guitarist Robert Fripp. Wilcox and Fripp own some of Crook's paintings, and the latter has used them as covers for his group's releases.

Distinctions: patronage, trusts and honours Crook is a Patron of the National Star College Cheltenham; a Patron of Linc; a Patron of Artshape; a sometime Trustee and director of ACS (the Artists' Collecting Society); Patron of Cheltenham Open Studios; a Gloucestershire Ambassador; President of the Friends of Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum; member of the Royal West of England Academy; Manchester Academy of Fine Arts. She is a member of the Chelsea Arts Club and the Honourable Company of Gloucestershire. PJ Crook has an honorary Doctor of Arts from the University of Gloucestershire and is an honorary vice President of Gloucestershire College.

Crook was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2011 Birthday Honours for services to art.

List of King Crimson album covers PJ Crook's paintings are featured on the covers of many King Crimson albums. Many of these albums are produced by Discipline Global Mobile (DGM), the music company founded by Robert Fripp. Crook retains the copyrights and moral rights to her artwork.

Painting(s) Album Painting date Release date The Night Watch 1996 1997 Epitaphdéjà VROOOM (booklet p. 7) 1990-94 19971999 Absent Lovers I [Nude] Absent Lovers: Live in Montrealdéjà VROOOM (booklet pp. 13–14) 1998 19981999 Absent Lovers II [Empty Bed] Absent Lovers: Live in Montreal 1998 1998 Now and Then déjà VROOOM (cover; booklet outer pages, pp. 1–6, 17, 18) 1997-8 1999 déjà VROOOM (booklet pp. 15–16) ???? 1999 Saint Genesius The Deception of the Thrush: A Beginners' Guide to ProjeKcts 1988 1999 Piano Bar Live at the Jazz Café (front cover) 1998 1999 Live at the Jazz Café ???? 1999 Masque Masque 1986 1999 Cirkus Cirkus: The Young Persons' Guide to King Crimson Live 1993 1999 Winter of Discontent Heavy ConstruKction 1993 2000 Level Five (front cover)The Power to Believe (outer back inlay)The Power to Believe Tour Box 1993 20012003 déjà VROOOM Vrooom Vrooom (Live in Mexico City)déjà VROOOM (booklet pp. 11–12) 1996 20011999 On Broadway Vrooom Vrooom (on Broadway)Live in Argentina, 1994 1996 20012012 Ladies of the Road 1998 2002 It Could be Us Happy with What You Have to Be Happy With (front cover) ???? 2002 Waiting ShoganaiHappy with What You Have to Be Happy With (back cover) 1986 2002 Fin de Siècle Level Five (back cover; CD label) 1999 20032001 (inner back inlay)Heaven & Earth (inner top lid) ???? 2003 Eyes Wide OpenEleKtrik: Live in Japan 1994 2003 Fairground Neal and Jack and Me ???? 2004 ???? 2004 March 30 (inner cover) 1993 2004 Harry's Bar (disc 2) 1985 2004 Sunday (Reading in Bed) (disc 3) ???? 2004 ???? 2004 Good Morning, M. Balladur (inner cover) ???? 2004 ???? 2004 Tuesday (front cover) 2002 2004 ???? 2007 ???? 2007 Expresso 40th Anniversary Tour BoxThe 21st Century Guide to King Crimson – Volume One (disc 1) 1997 20082004 Christian Children, Marching, Singing ???? 2011 Nocturne Heaven & Earth 2012 2019