My road travels have taken me to Saskatoon or "Saskaboom" as some people here say. This busy town is a beautiful setting to learn about art. I visited GG Award winner, Monique Martin at Georges Vanier Fine Arts School to understand how she incorporates history into her art classes.

First thing you must know about Monique is that she is a whirlwind literally and figuratively. She is on fire at 8:30 in the morning, doing amazingly creative activities with her students at every turn. And aside from teaching she also is an accomplished artist and is continually circling the globe: she has worked as a "Artist in Residence" in Paris for a year, taught art in Budapest, and is off to the Netherlands to paint a new variety of tulip that she is honoured to name! Who could keep up. Needless to say, I was thrilled to observe and participate in her class.

The timing of my trip was perfect in the Canadian History department since our object of study for the grade 3 class was Tom Thomson and his 1917 painting Jack Pine.  For Monique, art history gives her activities depth and meaning and it is her goal to provide the students, no matter what grade, the background to understand art. For her, art is a powerful and wonderful way to interpret the world whether students are analyzing artists or making their own creations.

Now for the best part of the day ... I got to paint! This may not seem like a big deal, but for someone who missed out on art as a kid in my school, I relished the opportunity to put on a smock and get my hands dirty. We, I mean the grade 3s and I, learned how to create a version of impasto in Tom Thomson style. I was slightly obsessed and when I was finished I actually got a number of compliments!  So between creating a masterpiece and watching a brilliant teacher in action I had a great day at school.