Wednesday, January 26, 2011

UE: Through Georgia's eyes






UE studied the work of American painter, Georgia O'Keeffe. I always thought flowers were pretty, but not interesting enough as an art subject. Looking at O'Keeffe's work changed my perspective. They're more than flowers; they could be landscapes, flames, organs. Her paintings are powerful because they're huge and force you to look closer and appreciate the beauty of these small objects. That's what I wanted my students to see.. the subtle color variations and intricate forms of the flowers that they wouldn't otherwise see at a quick glance. I wish we had real ones to look at, but photos were the next best thing! Each student picked a flower reference and looked for the landscape in the forms using a viewfinder. Then they colored their drawing with oil pastels. I can almost smell their sweet fragrance.

6 comments:

  1. Wonderful O'Keefe inspired pieces Ruth! I especially like the top one. What a small world. I'm actually in Seal Beach (between Long Beach and Huntington). Are you missing our SoCal weather - 76* today? :)

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  2. Ruth, I love all the wonderful Georgia O'Keefes ... not to mention everything else!! Thank you for teaching our kids about great artists as well as helping them make great art!

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  3. Thank you Cressida and Mary!! Your comments mean so much. The students never fail to amaze me.

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  4. Great job! i am planning lesson for an observation around Georgia Okeefe and I am looking for a good website or kids video not long to help introduce her and then show the kids how to paint large flowers and then let them create their own. any suggestions?

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  5. Beautiful interpretation of Georgia O'Keefe's work.

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  6. Thank you Chesterbrook Academy!! I love what I'm seeing on your blog!

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