Author : Sheila Mullen (Artist) and Ann Matheson (Commentary) ISBN : 9781840335163 Cover : hardback Price : £15.95
Described as ‘a singer of ballads in a different medium’, Sheila Mullen uses her paint and canvas to capture the drama and emotion of the traditional Scottish ballad in a single moment, bringing these once vibrant stories brilliantly alive once again. Here is the infamous Poosie Nancy's tavern in Mauchline where a colourful band of Jolly Beggars gathers for a night of carousing, the bonnie Rigs o Barley where the tryst between bonnie Annie and her lusty lover is celebrated one moonlit Lammas night. The stark realism of The Twa Corbies as they feast on the corpse of a knight abandoned on the field of battle and the poignant courage of The Border Widow’s Lament as she buries the body of her betrayed husband are captured here in vibrant yet chilling colours. With a clear and informative commentary on each song by Ann Matheson, the book is a sensual journey along the ancient roads the ballad singers once travelled.