Recess at the Cherryvale Schoolhouse
by Anne Gifford
Title
Recess at the Cherryvale Schoolhouse
Artist
Anne Gifford
Medium
Painting - Watercolor Overlay
Description
I have lived within a two mile radius of the old Cherryvale schoolhouse near Marshall, Colorado for the past 32 years. I've driven, run, walked, and bicycled past this old building several times a week. I could just imagine how it was in its heyday, with children's happy voices arising above the songs of the meadowlarks and other peaceful sounds of the surrounding countryside.
I started "Recess at the Cherryvale Schoolhouse" by crawling on my stomach to get underneath the fence which surrounds the property so as to capture a photograph of the exact vantage point that I envisioned. I then did a painting of the building from my photo. Next, I visualized some merry children, dressing them in old fashioned clothing as I painted tiny portraits of each child. I added three more figures that would climb the fence in the background.
I then scanned all of the paintings into my computer, and placed the paintings of the children atop of the painting of the schoolhouse. After experimenting with the positions and sizes of the children, I finally adjust the transparency of the figures so that they appear to be fading. Voila!
Uploaded
October 7th, 2013
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Comments (37)
Rick Davis
You captured my heart with this one Anne! The old country school house and children playing! Fav
Hazel Holland
Re-visiting this incredible painting and how you achieved the amazing transparency of the school children from the past! L/F
AnnaJo Vahle
All your clever work was most certainly worth the effort, Anne. It is a marvelous image. f
Kathy M Krause
What an incredible painting Anne! That was a fantastic idea to place kids at the school dressed in older cloths! Exceptional! L/F
Linda Lees
You visited my school photograph and I'm paying a return visit to your school painting. This is so lovely Anne! And thank you for sharing your process of making this wonderful image. fav
Beverly Harrison
I've traveled past this building for decades, loving everything about it, and you captured it perfectly. As always! I love the Marshall tributes. This one in particular. Beautifully done Anne!
Anne Gifford replied:
It means a lot to me that you like my Marshall paintings, Bev. You were painting in the same room with me when I painted this one at Ghost Ranch. Such sweet memories......Thank you for the comment.
Hazel Holland
Oh Anne, this is such a gorgeous and magical scene from the past!!! Love your explanation of how you achieved this amazing artistry! Thank you for sharing! L/F
Judi Dressler
So wonderfully well done, as with everything you paint, Anne! And thanks for that explanation; I wondered how you did it. I also have ridden my bike past that schoolhouse a zllion times, and it just occured to me... I sure hope it's still standing. If so, next time, I will stop and imagine children playing in the yard!
Anne Gifford replied:
And standing it is, thank God. What an icon this building is, cherished by all. Thank you for the comment, Judi!
Hanne Lore Koehler
Love this fantastic watercolor painting, Anne! Very ingenious layering of images to compose this gorgeous artistic story! L/F
Deana Markus
Gorgeous! This caught my eye, such a peaceful scene. And then.... then I saw the children. Enchanting!!!
Yoonhee Ko
OMG!! This is magical, Anne!! What a great overlay processing!! So~ very beautifully done!! Such a lovely work!!
Kendall Kessler
Beautiful! I also like to paint old structures. L
Anne Gifford replied:
They are fun, aren't they! I love history.....thank you for the comment, Kendall!
Malanda Warner
Anne, very creative concept and excellent portrayal of days gone by and the remnants of history that are too quickly forgotten! LF
Anne Gifford replied:
I appreciate your description of my painting, Malanda, thank you. What you said was exactly my intent.
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