Bugs and wings and other things – frontispiece 1918

Jessie Willcox Smith made this illustration, most likely using watercolor, ink, and maybe some pastel or gouache. This artist really knew kids, and what they look at! I can see that the colour palette is quite muted; it’s like she’s creating a sense of atmosphere or mood. The little girl is painted in a range of blues, pinks, and browns with natural tones. She’s looking right into the heart of nature! I’m guessing that Jessie wanted to explore the inner lives of children, and what they make of the great outdoors. Looking at this, I wonder what it was like to be Jessie, creating these images? Was she trying to communicate her own experiences of childhood? Or was she creating something totally new, maybe a whole imaginary world? In general, painters are constantly in conversation with one another, building on what came before, and re-imagining it for our own time. And that is a kind of generosity, right?