The Life and Training of John Bloom The Iowa landscape shapes the early years of John Bloom. Born in 1906, he remains a native of the state, eventually settling in Davenport. His trajectory shifts in 1932. He enters the Stone City Art Colony and School, a space defined by the presence of Grant Wood. Here, the student begins to absorb the specific visual language of the American heartland. The connection to Wood becomes a defining professional bond. John Bloom moves from the classroom into the direct orbit of the man who would lead the Regionalist movement. This mentorship provides more than…