American Gothic

American Gothic

Juvenile biography
Even if you don't know many other painting images by heart, if
someone mentions American Gothic you probably know what (s)he's
talking about. In your mind's eye you see a plainly dressed, somber
expressioned couple, standing in front of a building, a pitchfork
between them. I'm equally confident that you don't know the story
behind it. Susan Wood's American Gothic: The Life of Grant Wood can
remedy this deficit.
Grant Wood discovered artistic abilities early on, drawing with
charcoal sticks on cardboard or brown paper because his family
couldn't afford art supplies. As an adult artist he went to Europe to
discover his style. Impressionism, cubism, and abstract art, then the
rage, left him cold. Back in America he discovered an unusual
farmhouse with Gothic cathedral window.
Could the inspiration that eluded him during his pilgrimage be
on his own home turf?
Read the book and see.
On a personal note, I was really excited at work yesterday. I found
the answer to a mystery I'd been working on for weeks. A supervisor
would sometimes find crumbs on a table I'd wiped down or I'd find them
on one another student worker wiped down. I kept track of which
tables this happened at. Yesterday I realized it was the wood grain
ones, not the plain ones. The pattern can hide crumbs that can be
seen from another angle. So to make sure a table is clean look at it
from two angles. I learned my deductive skills from the best--Nancy
Drew, girl detective. In my preteen years I devoured that book
series. Mom, who much preferred the classics, thought it was a total
waste of my reading time. But over the years the insights I gleaned
from Nancy and her chums have served me well in many real life
situations. Just call me Jules Hathaway, two spirit detective.
A great big shout out goes out to my work family. I am glad I didn't
get a grad assistantship because I would have missed out on the
dining services student worker experience.
jules hathaway


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