Elaine Clayton, Artist & Illustrator Extraordinaire

At long last, the unveiling! Hidden for weeks behind my bedsheets on the wall behind the circulation desk has been the greatest secret I have ever kept.

When we moved into the library one year ago this week, I looked at that big empty wall and knew I wanted something extraordinary there: a work of art especially created for the spot and one which would resonate deeply and dramatically with children of all ages. And so, I called someone who knows children’s literature, and who knows picture books, because she is a children’s book illustrator. Someone who paints beautiful faces, beautiful hands, and magical creatures with the most fantastic colors. I called Elaine Clayton. I told her about a stunning painting I had seen in Italy, by Leonardo daVinci, and I wanted her to use it as a starting point. I wanted a tree filled with her special fairies and gnomes and elves, plus favorite characters and talismans from children's books. She produced a mural beyond anyone's wildest expectations in her Connecticut studio and then came to Paideia, where she taught 7 & 8 year olds many years ago, to share her work with our students.

Children gasped as together we pulled down the sheets to reveal The Tree of Life. They have been pouring into the library ever since, pulling parents by the hand, to exclaim again and again about this magnificent gift to us all. Elaine told the students about how her ideas emerged and how many times she had to repaint and start sections over. Her explanations of color, scale and literary references could only touch on the complexity of this grand work. The children sat rapt as she talked about writing and illustrating books, and how all adults have to revise, re-write, and re-paint anything that is worth sharing. They were absorbed by how she made connections between art, childhood and the human spirit, and her passion for her art and writing was abundantly clear. A teacher told me that after Elaine's talk, her students didn't groan when it was time to re-write their stories--they had heard it from a published author and illustrator, and they went at their work with diligence.

I shared a touching part of this story with all the students. I was able to commission the painting because, a few years ago, my mother-in-law asked me what I wanted for my birthday. When I told her I needed nothing, she suggested that she make a gift to Paideia School that I could use to decorate the library. My mother-in-law died a few weeks ago; in fact, we had to postpone Elaine's visit so that I could visit with her before her death. But, wonderfully, I was able to share with her the photos of this creation she helped to make possible. And in a sweet coincidence, her name was Elayne, so as I told the students, both Elaine/Elayne will be part of this library for many many years.

The pictures cannot do it justice. Please come in and gaze.







Thanks to Paideia Communications Director Jennifer Hill for the photos!

Books in our library written and illustrated by Elaine Clayton:

Pup in School.
The Yeoman's Daring Daughter and the Princes in the Tower.
A Blue Ribbon for Sugar.
Ella's Trip to the Museum.


Books in our library illustrated by Elaine Clayton:

Girl Coming in for a Landing: A Novel in Poems by April Halprin Wayland.
The Boy With Dinosaur Hands by Al Carusone.
A Couple of April Fools by Gregory Maguire.
Six Haunted Hairdos by Gregory Maguire.
The Georges and the Jewels by Jane Smiley.
A Good Horse by Jane Smiley.
42 Miles by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer.