Georgia O'Keeffe was an American artist known for her paintings of close-up flowers, New York skyscrapers, and New Mexico landscapes. O'Keeffe has been recognized as the "Mother of American Modernism."
Please watch the video below to learn more about Georgia O'Keeffe:
A book about Georgia's life that kids may enjoy listening to:
Sky Above Clouds IV (1965)
“I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way –things I had no words for." -Georgia O'Keeffe
Radiator Building — Night, New York (1927)
Georgia was born in 1887 on a farm near Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. Her parents were dairy farmers, and Georgia was the second of seven children. By age 10, she decided to become an artist. Her mother, being the daughter of an artist herself, saw to it that Georgia and her sister received art lessons from local watercolorist Sara Mann, and her art study continued at Sacred Heart Academy high school in Madison, Wisconsin.
The O'Keeffe farm in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin
After she finished high school, O'Keeffe taught and headed the art department at West Texas State Normal College and watched over her youngest sibling, Claudia. In 1917, she visited her brother, Alexis, at a military camp in Texas before he shipped out for Europe during World War I. While there, she created the painting, The Flag, which expressed her anxiety and worry about the war.
The Flag, watercolor and graphite on paper, 12 in × 8
In 1915, at the age of 28, she had a career breakthrough: She mailed some of her new abstract charcoal works to a friend in New York, who showed them to the revolutionary photographer Alfred Stieglitz. He was so taken with them that a year later, Stieglitz organized a solo show for O’Keeffe, and by 1918, she accepted his invitation to move to New York and pursue her career full time.
Drawing no. 13, 1915, charcoal (image courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum, New York)
Train at Night in the Desert
1916
It was during this time that began the work for which she was most remembered: her flowers. Oversized and close-cropped (so as to draw attention to such small, delicate details), the paintings reshaped ideas of what a still life could be.
Georgia O'Keeffe painting a flower, 1918. Photo by Alfred Stieglitz
O’Keeffe started exploring the motif of flowers early in her career. She was initially attracted to flowers due to their intricate forms and colors, which often posed a challenge to observation, and especially representation. She experimented with forms and approaches before settling on a close-up approach in depicting them, which brought to the view delicate details and forms of each flower. As she explained later, she wanted to give the opportunity to every busy New Yorker to appreciate the uniqueness of flowers, and to share in her unique sensory experience of nature. In 2014, the Georgia O'Keefe Museum sold a floral painting (Jimson Weed/White Flower No.1, painted in 1932) for $44 million dollars at auction setting the record for artwork sold by a female artist. She used the principles of contrast, value and organic shapes to create interest and bring attention to the natural world.
Let's take a closer look at one of Georgia's paintings. What do you notice about the way she paints her flower? One thing I notice is that we're zoomed in--almost like when you use zoom on a camera. I don't really see the edges of all of the leaves because she has painted the flower so large on the page. I also notice that we are looking down at the flower instead of maybe across from a distance like a vase of flowers on a table. In art we call that the "vantage point" or the position from which the painter is looking at the subject they are painting. Georgia's vantage point when she paints flower is very close-up and looking down into the flower. Another thing I notice is that she uses a lot of "complementary colors," which mean colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel so they really stand out when you pair them together. Another way to think of this would be using warm and cool colors, like the red flower (hot like fire) against the cool blue background (cool like water).
Georgia O'Keeffe, Abstraction White Rose, 1927
"Nobody sees a flower -really- it is so small it takes time.
We haven't time and to see takes time, like to have a friend
takes time." -Georgia O'Keeffe
Georgia O’Keeffe, Petunia, No. 2, 1924
Georgia O’Keeffe, Jimsom Weed 1932
In the summer of 1929, O’Keeffe made the first of many trips to northern New Mexico. The stark landscape and Native American and Hispanic cultures of the region inspired a new direction in O’Keeffe’s art. For the next two decades she spent most summers living and working in New Mexico. She made the state her permanent home in 1949, and she lived there for 37 years until she died at the age of 98 in 1986.
Georgia O’Keeffe, Ram's Head with Hollyhock, 1935
Georgia's painting studio in New Mexico
"I wish you could see what I see out the window—the earth pink and yellow cliffs to the north—the full pale moon about to go down in an early morning lavender sky . . . pink and purple hills in front and the scrubby fine dull green cedars—and a feeling of much space—It is a very beautiful world."
-Georgia O'Keeffe
Learn more about Georgia O'Keeffe:
Georgia O'Keeffe Museum
Additional Learning Activities for Kids
294 Paintings by Georgia O'Keeffe:
O'Keeffe / Square 1
FLOWER PROJECT
SUPPLIES
- Pencil
- Black Marker or Sharpie
- Crayons, Markers or Oil Pastels*
- A Flower (If you can't find one outside, you may look at a photo online)
- 8.5" x 11"white paper
*If you'd like to try using oil pastels, here's a link to good box on Amazon for $3.29:
PROJECT INSTRUCTIONS
How-to video:
In this lesson, we'll focus on 3 techniques that Georgia O'Keeffe used to paint her flowers.
- Vantage Point: The position of the artist in relation to the subject
- Scale: The size of an object in relation to another (the size of the flower in relation to the paper)
- Complementary Colors: Pairs of colors that contrast with each other more than any other color, and when placed side-by-side make each other look brighter.
Step One: Go for a walk and pick a flower you'd like to draw. You can also use an artificial flower or an image you find online.
Step Two: Using a pencil and 8.5" x 11" white paper, draw a circle in the middle of your paper slightly off center.
Step Three: Take a very close look at your flower from the vantage point of looking down and draw what you see in pencil first. Start at the center and then draw each petal as it radiates out. Make the flower large in scale so it fills the whole page. Make sure the petals touch all 4 sides of the paper.
Step Four: Trace over the pencil lines with a black Sharpie or marker. Don't forget to sign your name on one of the petals not near the edge of the paper.
Step Five: Color the flower with crayons, markers or oil pastels. Try to blend the colors together so the flower looks natural. You can use a paper towel to blend the oil pastels.
Step Six: Choose a contrasting color for the background and fill all the leftover white space with color.
Step Seven: You're ready to upload your art to Square 1! Please take a good photo in outdoor light and then upload the photo to:
A portion of sales will help us raise money for arts programs at Verdugo Woodlands.
Step Eight: You'll be able to see your work on the Square 1 website and order products right away. *Remember to order by April 1st to receive products in time for Mother's Day. : )
Here's are more instructions for uploading your art:
In case you'd like to learn more a little more about color theory!
And here are more art projects you can try that relate to Georgia O'Keeffe's practice!
