The princess and the ragged ballad-singer. 1921

Margaret Evans Price made this illustration, "The princess and the ragged ballad-singer," most likely with ink and gouache. I can see the artist mapping out the composition, feeling her way through the tonal relationships of the figures and the setting. How did she get to that red? I bet she had to go through a lot of versions. I can imagine her wrestling with it, wiping it away and starting again. Like, does she have to paint that curtain behind them AGAIN? I can sympathize... I too have been in the studio at 3am with only one colour working. The linework is so crisp! The balance between figuration and storytelling in Price’s work really appeals to me. I feel like I’m looking at a moment frozen in time – but what happens next?! I wonder if she felt a deep connection to the characters she depicted and how her own personal experiences might have influenced her artistic choices. I feel like she wanted to tell stories. And the world needs that.