This month at CDESA we have been studying the work of the great American landscape artist Grant Wood and the work of Paul Balmer, a fantastic, contemporary artist from Australia. The students learned that Grant Wood traveled all over the world, yet he thought Iowa (his hometown) was the most beautiful place he had ever seen. They learned that when he was a boy, he drew with a burnt stick from his mother's stove. They also joyfully observed that Mr. Wood has the distinct feature of a clef-chin....otherwise known in certain cultures as a (giggle, giggle) "booty-chin". They learned that Paul Balmer lives in New York City, actually makes a living as a painter AND is still alive (this was a stunning fact because we usually study dead people). Mr. Balmer even sent a personalized, hand-written postcard to each student - very cool! After observing the works of these two great artist, they applied their knowledge to their own landscapes and cityscapes. Check out Paul Balmer's artwork at http://www.paulbalmer.com/ and notice his influence in our students' cityscapes.
