How can I extract a specific field from a set of nodes? I am using Drupal 7.

I have a custom content type with multiple fields. For example, one field contains a thumbnail image. Another is a text field.

There are 36 nodes that use this custom content type. In database terms, I have 36 records.

How do I have Drupal extract a specific field from each of the 36 'records' and display them on a single page?

For example, in PHP I could write an SQL query such as "select fieldname from table" and display using while() { print $row['fieldname']; }.

How do I achieve this using Drupal 7?
Use views, add fields - only the image - display for that content type only if published. done.

If you want to fine tune it, do some theming.