My submission for Illustration Friday's "Red" is from my 2001 HomeMade calendar and the title is "Schoolhouse". I always wanted to go to school in a one room schoolhouse but Oak Park Elementary was a pretty large size school for the times. I loved my teachers very much. This smaller book was put together by a group of very loving and involved mothers of Topanga Elementary. They asked me to do the cover of their children's annual. Of course I said yes and after the project I received about 25 or so Thank You's from the kids that are filled with pictures and words of sweet gratitude. The cute thing about this annual is they drew their own picture and wrote a little piece about themselves. They are charming and bring a smile to your face. One of the boys is my neighbor, Kevin. Ten years later and he's all grown up! Schoolhouse was for the month of September and the quote is:
"The mother's heart is the child's schoolroom. ~Henry Ward Beecher~
please click on to the image to see what the boys wrote.
red has always been my favorite colour. your red schoolhouse looks happy and alive. great work.
ReplyDeleteYou do such lovely and vibrant art. This school house is such a joy! I wish they were still around like that!
ReplyDeleteWhat a perfectly little happy school house. Love it.
ReplyDeleteOh, now I am looking forward to Illustration Friday because I want to know what you will post. Now I joined IF several months ago but I still have to post something. Maybe one of these days I'll figure out the technical issues of posting. In the meantime, I do enjoy your Friday posts!
ReplyDeleteVal - gorgeous illos, and I'm sure I'll love you even more when I hear your weird things!
ReplyDeleteone of my best friends in jr. high lived in what was once a little red school house. i'm just realizing now that i was never inside her house! well, it was charming from the outside, as is yours.
ReplyDeleteThat's so cute! I love it-- I always wanted to go to one room schoolhouse, too.Or at least, the old fashioned brick kind with the columns and the big windows and upstairs... but I was a child of the 70's.
ReplyDelete*sigh*
perfectly captured, valgal! i performed once in a one-room school house, and it's still the most vibrant memory of the 500+ schools I visited. well done!
ReplyDeleteps there was a rabbit loose in the room. it was like a family house...
This is so wonderful! I just love it. . .as usual!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for visiting my blog. You are so sweet! We'll have to compare notes on the "That's Clever" Experience. I had such a blast with the crew. What a fun bunch. I'll definitely be on the lookout in June for your segment. Take care!
ReplyDeleteAwwww, Val, I loooove to learn in there. What a beautiful red school ;)
ReplyDeleteI love the kids letters and self portraits! I think Kevin has the same dreams I did. Hopefully he'll work hard to get there :) beautiful schoolhouse Val!
ReplyDeleteThere's a little red schoolhouse not far from my house, still in use... though it's got a couple of portables alongside to take care of the overflow.
ReplyDeleteVery nice house.
Awesome Val. Amazing how much ground you've covered! It must have made you smile seing all te letters and drawings from the kids too!
ReplyDeletewonderful scene!
ReplyDeletethe make of the roof and stones-base is excellent.
you, Val, as always, with your dreams on paper... very nice!
I wonder why they used to paint those little schoolhouses red back then? Same for the barns...there has to be a reason, eh? Hmmmm...maybe looked better against the blue sky...
ReplyDeleteOutstanding creation, once again DOOD!
I'm curious what it says on your business card..something like: Artist-Painter-Master home builder. :)
Really stellar, Val, I just love little red school houses!!
ReplyDeleteyes, it looks like a real countryside school...Great red, really brilliant...makes things happy!!!
ReplyDeleteOkay, that does it, I'm coming back. This time I'm going to be a human starting out as a kid just so I can go to school in a place like that. I promise not to pee on anything. Bad Dog (expecting)
ReplyDeleteaaaw thats so cute - kids are always fun to make art for :)
ReplyDeleteRed is really a fantastic color for a schoolhouse!
ReplyDeletei like the quote and the story behind your painting. Heartwarming.
This is so sweet and cheery :)
ReplyDeleteCute! I woulda loved to have gone to school there, too!
ReplyDeletevery lovely val!!! Great work - always a treat to see your work!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful little school house. I am so glad you showed us this one. As a former first grade teacher I can so appreciate what you did for the little school. Those thank you's are timeless treasures.
ReplyDeleteI love how you grab perspective
ReplyDeleteby the short hairs. Very nice whimsical style - perfect
school house.
One of my girlfriends lived in an old converted schoolhouse/church.. and it was even painted red. The house had a juvenile energy. We were quite immature there I am happy to say, lots of dancing and singing and even some lawn wrestling.
ReplyDeleteHi Val,
ReplyDeleteMy school wasn't red,but very out of yellow stones...It always exists!
It's a beautiful school, and a nice illo! Great work !
Have a nice week !
Hey girl, I love this red school house, so perfect for Illo Friday's challenge. I have some ideas but no time to get them finished and so glad you stopped by. I will work hard to post more often. Keep posting your beautiful works too, they're so inspiring.
ReplyDeleteaw, val, another heartwarmer house. i am so enjoying getting to know you this way.
ReplyDeleteyou rock! (like andrea...) (and ces)
:)
that's what I called a good old classic home!! Beautiful! :)
ReplyDeletelookin' good Val!
ReplyDeleteAh, you've got that Little House on the Prairie touch!
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy the way that you use such bright colors, Val. Beautiful cover art.
ReplyDeleteHow lovely to get the little thank you's to go with your beautiful colourful illustration!
ReplyDeleteCharming as can be, Val! And a great story to go with it.
ReplyDeleteThe perfect little red schoolhouse!
ReplyDeleteof course... a red schoolhouse; you always do it perfectly
ReplyDeletecharming school house and booklet thanks for ur comment, it gve me an idea for an flash animation. if its successful i will post it here eventually at my other blog.
ReplyDeletemy wife is a teacher and she loves this! i agree with her of course, and see how inviting this is. you really captured the small schoolhouse feel. lovely piece!
ReplyDeleteIf I were a school house, this is the one I would be.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful little red school house and the history of this piece is so nice.
So cute! =)
ReplyDelete...one day i will tell you the story of the little blocks of wood. :O)
ReplyDeletei would love to also one day see your little notes of gratitude from the kiddies. xo cute!