Monday, March 31, 2014

Georgia O'keefe Inspired Art Lesson

 With all the beautiful blooming flowers around us I thought it would be the perfect time to teach the kids a little about an artist I just adore, Georgia O'Keeffe, most famous for her beautiful paintings of large and very detailed flowers.

 We picked up a few books from our local library on O'Keeffe. The kids loved flipping through the pages and looking at all of her infamous artwork. Em enjoyed seeing actual photos of O'Keeffe and hearing all about her life.

 After we browsed the books I talk to Em and G about her painting style and showed them a few examples. I gave them each a real flower and a magnifying glass to observe all the details they could find in each flower. They noticed a lot more then I had expected!

 I gave the kids a black oil pastel to start their drawings. I was sure to point out to them that O'Keeffe's flowers often extended off of her painting and allowed us to use our imaginations to see the rest of the flower.
After they finished their drawings they chose just a couple colors on tempera paint to complete their flower. I encouraged them to paint the background as well as the flower.

 Em and G both enjoyed this so much. They were very intrigued and excited to learn about the artist and I just love that. I see an artist series in our future.

A few books we enjoyed during this lesson:

My Name Is Georgia: A Portrait by Jeanette Winter

Through Georgia's Eyes: by Rachel Victoria Rodriguez

Wideness and Wonder: The Life and Art of Georgia O'Keeffe

 

 

No comments:

Post a Comment