An apron full of flowers

Elizabeth Forbes was unique among the Newlyn artists in her ability to evoke a fantasy world out of the Cornish landscape, and in depicting the magical qualities of childhood. Stanhope Forbes, her husband, was a rigid adherent to social realism, but he appreciated her ability, describing her work in oil and watercolour as 'charming and beautiful paintings which combine such lovely imaginative qualities with almost unrivalled technical skill and artistic feeling' (see C. Fox, Stanhope Forbes and the Newlyn School, London, 1993, p. 49).