What was it like, writing your biography?

Very fulfilling, in many ways. I have kept a diary for the last thirty years, because I find it helpful and satisfying to parcel the day in a paragraph before putting it to bed.

Now, in the evening of my life, I have the chance to package it up in 150 pages or so; and it gives a sense of completion. It was a nostalgic exercise, of course, often tinged with humour. It is life's little jokes which remain most clearly in the memory, and incidents which seemed no joke at the time, make me smile now.

What is your favourite (or least favourite) part?

I am like the average woman who has had a happy marriage; it is the courting time which we most often recall. The least favourite times were perhaps the periods of frustration, described the chapter headed 'Snakes and Ladders'. But even there, I was able to go on producing work which found its niche later on.

An artist, unlike an actor who is 'resting', need not stop work, even without a commission, and some of my most rewarding output came from an 'idle' period.

How did you get interested in illustration?

I cannot remember a time when I did not feel a special affinity to drawing and painting. It was always an important part of my identity. I suppose a child's exposure to the visible arts is mainly through illustrations in books, and I soon developed a love of tales of magic, which I have never grown out of. To put such tales into pictures was a natural delight.

Do you draw upon Mid-Wales in your work?

Most certainly I do. I did many sketches in pencil and paint, of scenery, plants and people, which became background or decorative material in the illustrations. I loved painting the seasons and months and I decorated the edges with specimens of plants collected from lanes around the house.

I would store experiences and pictures in my head which came in useful when illustrating. Imagination is 99% realism, 1% fancy; it is like an Irish coffee-a standard hot drink, with a dash of whisky.

What place do you think Welsh folklore has, or might have, in Wales today?

A very important place. I think, perhaps, Wales has tended to live too much in the past; but a background sense of tradition and cultural history plays a very significant part in the feeling of national identity, on which Wales has kept a firm grip through everything.

I believe that this country has a rich store of traditional literature, and would be very much poorer without it.

What tips would you pass on to would-be illustrators?

Remember that you are not working on your own, for yourself. You are part of a team, and you have to respect the story, which you must not contradict, but may enhance with your imagination. Respect and underline the tone of the book, be it humorous, romantic or realistic; and follow the aims of balance and composition which should rule all art. Then you can let your imagination loose!

What plans do you have for the future?

There's a question to ask an 89 year old!

My illustrating days are, sadly, over. Deterioration of my eyesight, for which no more can be done, has brought an end to the art-work. I can still write - just about!

There is hope that some of my work done in past years, may still be put in print; two books are, hopefully, to be published next Spring, which bear my illustrations. So there is still some excitement to look forward to in 2008.

Q&A with Margaret D. Jones