"I said probably they were just scared he was going to put ideas in their heads. She smiled. Imagine that. A teacher, putting ideas in kids' heads" - Demon Copperhead
This painting is of a Packhorse Librarian eagerly greeted by the students of a one-room school house on her delivery route. She would most likely know all of the children since they would be from the homes of friends and families in her community. Thus, she would know which books were their favorites. However, there weren't enough books for each child and they would have to share the few copies she brought for the two week period before her return. There were also kids who could never make it to the schoolhouse so she would visit their homes - often moonshiners - and read for the families who had yet to learn how to read for themselves.
If you ventured on this journey with me back to the Great Depression in Appalachia, thank you for taking the time to view my impromptu collaboration with these amazing ladies of history including the talented Barbara Kingsolver. Inspiration is around every corner, and it's my constant curiosity that keeps the fires of creating stoked. There's so much to learn out there and to be able transform some of it into art is what makes my heart beat.
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