Georgia O’Keeffe

Painter and Sculptor

“Mother of American Modernism”

November 15th, 1887-March 6th, 1986

• Georgia O’Keefe was born

on November 15th, 1887 on a farm in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin.

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• She knew she wanted to be an artist from a very young age.

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• Much of the art she made was inspired by nature and the beauty she found in the world around her.

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Series 1, No. 3

• Georgia O’Keefe was known as the Mother of American Modernism.
• Modern art rejected tradition.
• Modern artists tried to capture their thoughts and feelings in their artwork instead of trying to make exact replicas of the world around them.
• Modern art used color and shapes in new ways. This changed art forever.
• Georgia O’Keefe was best known for her paintings of flowers, skyscrapers and the landscapes of New Mexico.

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• Georgia O’Keefe painted nature like she was looking through a magnifying glass.
• What type of lines and shapes do you see in these paintings?

• How would you describe the colors and textures?
• How are the light and dark shapes used to create a focal point?

Today we are going to draw leaves inspired by the art of Georgia O’Keeffe.

Magnify - Draw the leaf so big that it runs off the page on one or more sides.

Abstraction -Capture the feeling and emotion of looking at a leaf, NOT the exact replica of a leaf.

Line and shape - Use curving and wavy lines to create organic shapes.

Focal point and value - use light and dark colors to create a focal point.

• If you have a lighter leaf make the background darker.
• If you have a darker leaf make the background lighter.
• Use lighter colors for highlights

Supplies:

• Gray construction paper
• Pencil
• Paper towel
• Chalk pastels
• Leaf
• Tray with paper towel for tapping off excess chalk dust

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Optional supplies:

• Eraser
• Masking tape